Gravity Falls: Camp Mystery Camp
by RealDone Universe
Summary: Dipper and Mabel return to Gravity Falls for summer a camp a year after Weirdmageddon. Reuniting with old friends and making new ones, they go on new adventures and uncover a conspiracy tied to Gravity Fall's history that could doom the multiverse.
1. Enter The Mystery Camp

**Enter the Mystery Camp**

EVERYTHING seemed good in Gravity Falls after the end of Weirdmageddon and the defeat of Bill Cipher. But amidst the enactment of the 'Never Mind All That Law', a man spied on the processions in a nearby building.

He stood by the window and watched from afar, drawing out a phone from his jacket pocket, "Mayor Tyler did it; he thinks orders came from the president. The next phase Weirdmageddon can proceed."

* * *

THE RED alarm clock rang on Dipper's beside and he turned it off, jumping out of bed with vigour and walking up to the mirror. He saw his reflection and smiled to himself; he was taller now. He put on his clothes quickly and moved up to a calendar on the wall. On it was a circle with the words 'Gravity Falls' on it.

"It's the big day!"

Dipper moved closer to the mirror and squinted at his upper lip. A tiny moustache hair stood out and he grinned.

"The beard's coming in pretty nicely. This is perfect!"

Mabel's scream came from the hall along with her hasty footsteps as she burst into the room. "It's finally here!"

"We're going back to Gravity Falls!" The twins said together.

"I can't believe this day has finally arrived! I'm so excited!" Dipper said.

"Yeah. I can't wait to see my friends again. Grenda and Candy, ooh it's been so long!" Mabel said.

"Yeah and it'll be finally a good time to see Grunkle Ford and Stan again!" Dipper walked up to a desk, "I really hope they're back because there's a lot I wanna talk about."

Dipper picked up a journal from his cluttered desk and looked at it. It was Journal Number 4 with a pine on the cover and his handwriting in it. His eyes nearly popped from excitement when Mabel jerked him out of his daze.

"And I bet you wanna see a special someone," Mabel said.

Dipper turned to Mabel and saw the sly grin on her face, "Who?" He adjusted his hat.

"Oh, come on, you can't hide it from me! Who else have you been collecting all this cologne and have been calculating your height for?" Mabel gestured to his messy wardrobe which had several bottles of deodorants and sprays next to measuring tape. She raised her brow and pulled out a bottle. "Shaving cream? Seriously?"

"It is for the future." Dipper grabbed the bottle from her and shut the closet quickly, coughing uneasily.

"Come on, Dipper, there's nothing to be embarrassed about ... even though there totally is."

"Ugh! Mabel, don't you have someone else to talk to or something? I've got stuff to pack." Dipper walked past Mabel.

"I have no one to talk to." Mabel scoffed then drew out her phone, quickly looking for a message. "I mean, I'm so over Justin - I'm so over guys." She walked over to her bed. "In fact, I'm so over them, I'm going lesbian!" Dipper raised his brow and she whimpered. "Oh, why did he leave me!?" She cried hysterically, sliding down the wall in a heap.

"Oh, come on, Mabel, you don't need him." Dipper walked up to her.

"It's not him. I'm wondering if I'm the problem - why do they keep leaving me?"

"Who cares? Look, you don't need them."

"So, you're saying I should go lez?" Mabel raised her brow.

"Eh, if you want"

"That's gross, Dipper." She deadpanned.

Dipper sat beside her. "Look, it's summer and it's time for a fresh start; you don't need to cry over him."

"Yeah, you're right! I don't need him."

"Exactly, you've got me!"

"Yeah!" Mabel grinned.

"Yeah!" Dipper draped his arm over her shoulder. "It's you and me, Mabel, the Mystery Twins! And if we survived last summer, we can do it again!"

* * *

TOM MCCARTHY, a 13-year-old brunette-haired boy in a red checked shirt over a white-tee, black pants and shoes, huffed as he stood before the calendar in his dim room. On it were the words "Camp at Gravity Falls".

"Shit."

* * *

TOM RANG the doorbell as he stood outside his friend Mary's house. The door swung open and the girl in question, a 12-year-old with white hair clad in a bright hood, jeans and shoes, walked up to him with a grin.

"You ready?" Tom asked.

"Yeah." She adjusted her backpack. "You told me last week, remember?"

"Well, my mom told me to, so." Tom shrugged.

"Oh, stop blaming your mom, Tom; you wanted me to come along!"

"Pfft, as if." Tom walked on and Mary followed him.

"Uh, yeah, I only came along because I didn't want you to be alone the whole time - you know you can't make any friends." Mary said.

"Don't need any."

"You're just acting tough." She nudged him.

"Please." He pushed her aside.

"It's okay, I'll be by your side each step of the way," Mary smirked.

"Look, my mom forced me to bring you along; I don't need you."

"Sure thing, honey," Mary smiled at him and he blushed. "You're so cute!" She laughed, gaining a scowl from him. "Oh, come on, you know you can't resist me."

"Leave me alone!" He walked on.

"Baby, come back!" Mary teased and he growled as he walked away.

* * *

DIPPER AND Mabel got off the bus as it dropped them off at summer camp. The looked around in anticipation as several kids from all over the country roamed the main grounds. They looked up and saw the sign hanging above them.

"Camp Mystery Camp?" Dipper raised his brow.

"Told you it wasn't a typo." Mabel said as the two walked on.

"I didn't really think that was the case because -,"

"Mabel?" Grenda's voice came.

"Grenda? Candy?" Mabel grinned as she saw the two girls come running to her.

"Mabel!" Candy said excitedly.

Mabel ran up to the girls and embraced them. "Oh, it's been so long, you guys!"

"We couldn't wait to see you!" Grenda said.

"I couldn't wait to see you!" Mabel said.

Dipper cleared his throat, causing the girls to pull back. "Whoa, Dipper." Candy walked up to him, her eyes dilated in surprise. "You had a growth spurt."

"Hey, Candy, me and Mabel were looking for our dorms so -,"

"Ooh, you should check out our dorm!" Grenda cut him off.

"You are going to love it." Candy grabbed Mabel's hand.

"Okay." Mabel turned to Dipper as she was dragged off. "See ya, Dipper!"

Dipper waved uneasily as Mabel left with the others. Looking around with a huff, he walked down the main grounds and accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Na, it's coo - whoa!" Wendy stepped back in surprise. "Dipper?"

"Wendy?"

"Whoa, dude, it's been a long time." Wendy stepped back.

"What're you doing here?" Dipper asked.

"I'm the Assistant Camp Manager in this bitch, so I make the rules, sucka!" She smirked and he laughed. "Man, you've gotten taller."

"Y-Yeah, I guess." Dipper said uneasily.

Wendy smiled then squinted slightly. "You still have my hat?"

"What?" Dipper asked then realized. "Oh, yeah, I do." He glanced around. "You still have mine, huh."

"It was something to remember you by." She adjusted the cap.

Dipper looked into her eyes and cleared his throat. "I, um ... I'm gonna see where my dorm is."

"Yeah, sure thing."

Dipper adjusted his hat and walked past Wendy, moving up to the dorms nearby. She watched him leave and her brows stitched slightly as she stared at him for a bit. Adjusting her cap slightly, she walked off, heading toward Mr Poolcheck's office.

* * *

DIPPER DREW out his journal and started to read, bringing up to the strange weather reports from the arctic when he heard footsteps down the dorm's hallway. He shut his book in surprise as he saw Pacifica walking toward him.

"Dipper?" She raised her brow.

"Pacifica?" Dipper put the journal away. "What're you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that question."

"Well, this is my dorm," Dipper said.

"It's actually my dorm - Team Pacifica." Pacifica said.

"Wait, what?"

"Each dorm is a team, so you'll call me Captain from now on." Pacifica walked on and Dipper groaned. "Make sure you don't slack off, I don't want to lose because of you."

Dipper grunted and continued to read when he ended up at his room door. Seeing the number, he looked up and entered, finding a bedroom in which Tom was arguing with Jerry, a short, fat, raven-haired boy with in a red shirt, black jeans and shoes and glasses.

"There are no ghosts in this town!" Tom yelled.

"Wait, did you say ghosts?" Dipper asked.

"This jackass thinks there're ghosts in this town." Tom scoffed and sat back.

"Actually, there are." Dipper said.

"See? He agrees with me." Jerry crossed his arms.

"Oh, yeah? What's your proof?" Tom raised his brow.

"I have this journal where I write down all my –,"

"Fanfiction? Geez, why're so many people writing fanfiction?" Tom huffed.

"It's not fanfiction, it's true!" Dipper frowned and opened the journal. "See, there's gnomes, vampires, ghosts -,"

"Minotaurs and unicorns?"

"Um ... y-yeah." Dipper's eyes darted about.

"Look, I know a lotta things too like the CIA and stuff, but that's stuff is pure garbage." Tom said.

Dipper shut his journal angrily and Jerry moved up to him. "Don't listen to him." He placed his arm over his shoulder. "When the aliens come and try to take our bones, we'll be there to stop them."

Dipper frowned at Jerry and Tom laughed, making him more annoyed as he walked off. Getting to his bed, Dipper opened up his journal and started writing, wishing time would pass so he could visit the Mystery Shack.

* * *

MARY ENTERED Tom's room and saw that Dipper and Jerry's beds were empty. The girl shook her head as she saw Tom seated on his bed playing with a yo-yo and walked up to him.

"Pissed everyone off already?" She put a hand on her hip.

"Does it matter?" He raised his brow.

"It does to me." She sat on the bed. "Look, you can't only be hanging with me and nobody else."

"... I don't hang out with you all the time." Tom said and Mary looked at him sceptically. "Mary, I don't need to hang out with anyone at all; don't give a crap about this camp stuff anyways."

Mary huffed and held his hand. "Tom, look, it's okay if you're afraid."

"Afraid? Of what?" Tom asked and she looked at him seriously. "Look ... it's not that, I ... I'm fine now."

"Well, even if that isn't the case, you can't be cooped up like this."

He huffed. "Mary, I –,"

"Tom!" Mary frowned slightly and squeezed his hand gently. "Tom, why can't you open up to anyone else?" She asked and he looked downward, sifting his mind. She sighed. "Look, I won't force you, but ... you're the one who's gotta decide if you're gonna be a grumpy hardass with no friends or the badass, kind kid I knew you to be."

Tom frowned slightly and Mary smiled at him, slowly leaving him in his room. He looked at his yo-yo and grunted, crushing it between his fingers and tossing it aside in anger.

* * *

NOISE FILLED the mess hall as Dipper got his food and he muttered to himself, trying to drown out the noise as he walked up to his desk. Setting the tray down, he sat and drew out his journal when a loud voice interrupted his thoughts.

"See? I knew it! I knew there was a bunch of crappy food up in here." Mitch, a fat guy clad in black, grunted as he sat back.

"Just eat your food, fat-ass" Christopher Corduroy, a redhead wearing a flannel vest, black jeans and boots, smacked him upside the head.

"Watch it!" Mitch butted heads with Christopher.

Dipper groaned and left his table, ignoring lunch and headed out the front door. He got onto the porch and drew out his journal when he heard a sigh nearby. Turning to his left, he saw Pacifica leaning against the guardrail and staring out aimlessly. She seemed sad from what he could tell. He moved toward her when Mr Poolcheck called out with a bullhorn.

"Alright, campers, get over here!" Mr Poolcheck yelled.

The campers left the mess hall and moved up to Mr Poolcheck, albeit disorderly, who stood beside Wendy as he drew out a clipboard.

"Welcome to the worst summer of your lives! I am Mr Poolcheck and I'll be your manager this summer!" He read the clipboard. "Six dorms have been filled this year and thus there will be six teams. Team Pacifica led by Pacifica Northwest, Team Narwhal Blast led by Christopher Corduroy, Team Elf led by Grenda, Team Royalty led by Sherry, Team Gurren led by Kris Powers and finally Team Chicks Dig Giant Robots led by Mitch Rivals." Mumbling came from the campers. "Might I say that those are probably the worst names I have heard all year." He cleared his throat. "We'll have a wide variety of activities ranging from survival skills to hunting for mysterious creatures in the great forests around us. Each team must compete to receive a Camp Camp badge and whoever has the most badges will take home the grand prize."

The campers mumbled amongst themselves. "What's with all the Camp Camp stuff?" Mabel leaned to Candy.

"I'll leave you to Assistant Manager Wendy Corduroy - I've got to find a camper who went missing last night." Mr Poolcheck handed the clipboard to Wendy.

Watching Mr Poolcheck leave, Wendy cleared her throat. "Alright, guys, we're playing Catch-the-Flag today. Each team will have a fortress and a flag to protect while trying to steal flags from other teams. Captains come get your maps to your fortresses and good luck."

The Team Captains lined up before Wendy who handed out small papers from the clipboard. Pacifica received her paper and turned to see Sherry walk over to her team.

"Good luck!" She said smugly. "You're gonna need it!"

Pacifica frowned.

* * *

PACIFICA SQUINTED as she looked out the window of her team's small fortress. Making sure there was nobody outside, she turned to Dipper, Tom and Jerry who were seated around her, none of them giving any attention to her.

She exhaled, "Alright, guys, we've got five other teams out there and any one of them could burst in here and steal our flag, but if we work together, we can take all of theirs instead. Here's the plan -,"

"I'm just gonna have to stop ya right there, ma'am, if you will?" Jerry asked in a southern accent.

"Ma'am?" She squinted.

"Pardon me for interruptin', but how are we preparing for the alien invasion that could happen at any second!" He began to shiver.

"What?"

"Oh, it's over! It's over! It's over - it's the apocalypse!" Jerry said.

Tom groaned, "Okay, while I'm not with Dr Seuss over here," Dipper raised his brow, "I'm not on board with this whole 'catch-the-flag' thing."

"Why?" Pacifica asked.

"What's the point? We catch the flag; get a stupid badge and then what? We become celebrities or something?"

"The point is that we win." Pacifica frowned. "This Team has my name on it and I don't lose."

"Then get the flag yourself - I don't give a damn."

Pacifica growled in anger and Dipper noticed it, scowling as he tried to concentrate on writing. Jerry continued to whimper and Tom groaned.

"Goddammit, Jerry, are you still on that? Really?" Tom frowned and started arguing with Jerry.

Dipper tried to write and squinted as he focussed on his book, but their bickering got louder and louder and he snapped. "Alright, shut up!" Tom and Jerry turned to Dipper who stood up. "Come on, guys, can you really gonna argue _all_ day long?"

"Hey, I'd be quiet if this dumbass would shut up about -,"

"Can it, Red!" Dipper moved and stood beside Pacifica. "Guys, we may not all have wanted to come to camp, but one thing we all don't want is to be humiliated at camp. Do you really want to be losers on the first day of camp?"

"Pfft, no." Tom crossed his arms.

"Then let's work together and win this, alright?" Dipper shut his book. "Now, Tom, go with Jerry and find another team's flag while Pacifica and I hold down the fort."

"Fine by me." Tom shrugged and walked off. "Come on, Jerry."

Tom and Jerry left and Dipper sat down beside Pacifica, instantly returning to his book. Pacifica glanced at him and sat back, waiting for the others to do their job. Time flew past quickly however and the two were out for an hour.

"Should they be out this long?" Pacifica turned to Dipper.

"No." Dipper said.

"Should we go after them?"

Dipper continued to write then huffed. "Alright, let's go find them."

* * *

THE ORANGE skies coloured the earth as Pacifica and Dipper made their way through the forest. Nearly an hour had passed since they went out to search for their friends and they slowly got concerned. Putting his journal aside, Dipper looked around carefully, trying to make sure he didn't miss anything.

He turned to his left when light hit his eye, nearly blinding him. His eyes blinked back open and he saw a ray of light bend on its own toward him.

"Pacifica, look at this." He took her hand and directed her toward the light.

"How's that happening?" She frowned.

"That's what I'm going to find out." Dipper drew out his journal and started reading. "Ah-ha! It's an illusion spell."

"An illusion spell?" She turned to him.

"Yes! One made to keep people trapped in a loop for as long as possible. It says the spell can be broken by water at its transmutation circle."

"And how do we find that?" Pacifica asked.

Dipper walked onward, seemingly ignoring Pacifica who frowned slightly. He rubbed his feet against the earth, shuffling grass around as he walked.

Pacifica raised her brow in confusion. "Uh, what're you doing?"

"Looking for the circle." He continued stepping and felt a vibration. "Found it."

Dipper pulled out a bottle of water and poured it on the ground before him, revealing a magic circle that slowly dissolved in the mud. The forest around them fizzled and a large tree nearby disappeared, revealing Tom and Jerry who were walking in the distance.

Dipper put the bottle away and saw them. "Hey, guys, over here!"

Tom saw them and moved up to them. "Weren't you guys supposed to hold down the fort?"

"We were, but you took so long, that's why we came out." Pacifica said.

"Well, we wouldn't have taken long if Jerry hadn't blathered on about some mystic stuff." Tom said.

"I'm telling the truth! There was an illusion spell!" Jerry yelled.

"Oh, come on!"

Pacifica shook her head and turned to her left where she saw a girl from Team Sherry running. "Uh, guys?"

"No, it's true." Dipper drew out this journal. "The spell alters light and your perception and that was what kept you -,"

"Don't start with that shit, fanfic boy." Tom frowned.

"It's not a fanfiction!" Dipper growled.

"Guys!" Pacifica called.

"What!?" Tom and Dipper yelled simultaneously.

"Team Sherry took our flag!" Pacifica frowned.

The guys turned and saw Charlie Natural, a blonde, slender girl wearing a white dress with a pink trim and boots, who ran off with their flag. She was followed by Peter Rock, a tall, slim teen wearing a blue shirt and black pants, who walked nonchalantly.

"Oh, man." Dipper groaned.

* * *

THE SUN had set by the time the campers returned from their game and Sherry, the captain of Team Royalty, held the six flags above her head, showing off her victory. Team Pacifica just arrived when it happened and Dipper frowned in shock.

"Wait, you got all the flags?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah, momma's the boss in this bitch." Sherry smirked.

"We're just that good." Lil Gideon, who stood by Sherry, said with a grin.

"You!" Dipper moved up to him. "Now it makes sense!"

"Why, of course it does - I am brilliant." Lil Gideon laughed.

"You obviously cheated!" Dipper scowled.

"Why in heaven's name would I do that? I'm just an honest boy nowadays."

Dipper growled and turned to see Mr Poolcheck arrive with Lily Cello, a raven-haired brunette girl in a black blouse, green skirt and boots, who he dragged along by her collar as she thrashed about. Dipper smirked and moved up to him.

"Team Royalty won? Well, what a surprise!" Mr Poolcheck said.

"Why, thank you Mr Camp Manager, sir; it always feels good to be acknowledged." Lil Gideon said.

"No, sir, they didn't win, they cheated!" Dipper said.

"My word!" Lil Gideon gasped. "Now why would you come up with such a ridiculous lie, Dipper Pines?"

"Do you have any proof?" Mr Poolcheck turned to Dipper.

"Yes, I do." Dipper drew out his journal, "You see -," He cut himself off as he saw Tom standing nearby. Looking to Pacifica, he withdrew his journal and lowered his head. "No, I don't have any proof."

"Well, while all the losers were going to be on kitchen duty tonight, because Team Pacifica tried lie, only they will be on duty."

"What?" Pacifica's eyes dilated.

"Ain't that some shit." Tom threw his arms up.

Dipper glanced at Pacifica and sifted his mind. "Wait!" He drew Mr Poolcheck's attention. "It was my fault ... I was slacking off and I tried to get us the win by cheating."

"Dipper?" Wendy turned to him in surprise.

"Dipper cheating? How's that possible!?" Mabel said in shock.

Dipper huffed. "It's true."

"Well, then, guess you're on kitchen duty tonight." Mr Poolcheck turned to the others. "Alright, campers, hit the showers and prepare for dinner. It's lights out at 9pm!"

Mr Poolcheck walked off and the campers began to disperse. Dipper remained where he was and Wendy and Mabel left in surprise. Pacifica walked off slowly, glancing at Dipper and Tom watched her leave, feeling a pit in his stomach. Mary saw this.

* * *

DIPPER GRUNTED as he put the trash out after lights out. He walked down the moonlit grounds when he saw Pacifica seated on a stump far from the dorms. Looking around, he pocketed his hands and walked up to her.

"Room for two?" He asked.

"What're you doing here?" She asked.

"I came to apologise." Dipper sat down and sighed. "We made things difficult for you and our arguing cost us the contest. I'm sorry."

"You know, I don't even really care about the camp either."

"You don't?"

"Well, you get a badge at the end of the day and then what? It's not important." Pacifica pointed out.

"Then, why do you wanna win?" Dipper asked.

"It's because of Sherry." Pacifica huffed. "She's a Northwest, my cousin, and she's always one-upped me even as kids. Not only is she rich, but she's super talented and all I had was money to my name. Now that we don't have any anymore, she just keeps surpassing me and I can't do anything. I'm nothing on my own."

"Don't say that." Dipper said and she turned to him. "You're capable of a lot of things; you're strong on your own."

Pacifica smiled slightly. "Thanks."

Dipper returned the gesture when he heard footsteps approach. "Oh, Tom, what're you doing here?"

"Hey." Tom pocketed his hands as he stood before the two. "It's Pacifica, right?"

"Yeah." She said.

"Well, I ... wanted to ... to," Tom sighed. "I ..." He rubbed his neck. "I -,"

"Apology accepted." Pacifica smiled.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I know it's hard to do sometimes."

"Whoa, heh, okay," Tom smiled slightly when a loud crash drew their attention. "What the?"

"Look." Dipper pointed to the forest where a billow of dust arose in the distance.

"Whoa!" Mabel ran up to them with a bag of candy in hand. "Did you guys hear that?"

"Yeah, it came from the -," Dipper turned to her. "Wait, didn't mom say no candy at night?"

"What? It's just a snack," Mabel ate a handful.

"But you get all jittery when you -,"

"Come on, you'll chastise me on the way to the forest," Mabel grabbed Dipper's arm and ran on. "We've gotta figure out what that explosion was!"

Tom and Pacifica looked to each other and shrugged, following the Twins as they ran off.

* * *

DIPPER, MABEL, Pacifica and Tom searched through the forest and followed the dust cloud. As it drew closer, they got jittery.

"What do you think it is?" Pacifica asked.

"Probably some monster." Tom said.

"Oh, now you believe in monsters?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah, and unicorns, fairies – in fact, I even met a magical space princess once." Tom said.

"What?" Dipper stopped. "If you've seen all that, why were you antagonising the whole time?"

"It's my nature and I don't believe in unexplained magical bullshit." Tom said.

"Then what about what you just said?" Dipper asked.

"Meh." Tom shrugged. "This monster will tear all of you limb from limb up in this bitch."

"Wha, pfft, you don't know that." Pacifica scoffed.

"Wanna bet on it?"

"Shh! You guys." Dipper said in a low tone.

The four stopped as they saw a large crater a few feet away from them. Dipper and Mabel walked toward it instinctively and Pacifica gulped as she followed them. Tom shrugged and walked past all of them up to the crater.

"Whoa, be careful! You don't know what it is!" Dipper shouted silently.

"Well, come check it out then." Tom gestured to the crater.

Dipper, Pacifica and Mabel joined him and looked as the dust settled around the crater, revealing a large, green eyeless humanoid reptilian beast with four arms, spikes along its back and tail, and a large mouth on its stomach.

"Cue the screams," Tom said and the others screamed in terror. "On point."


	2. Hunky Dory

**Hunky Dory**

EARLIER THAT NIGHT

Several wizards chanted in a dim circular room filled with satanic imagery and magic symbols on the walls. Blood piped into a hole in the middle of the room and they circled around it, holding their hands over it. They chanted spells and energy began to swirl over the hole, creating a dim light as it spread out.

A portal opened before them, showing varied locations like SFIT, Echo Creek, and Blud Haven before stopping over Gravity Falls. Blood collected and floated upward in a bubble, moving up before the portal and started to release steam. The portal fizzled and the blood bubble shot into it, causing the gateway to explode and knock the wizards back. The wizards recuperated and look onward in a panic.

* * *

DIPPER, MABEL and Pacifica screamed as the beast moved toward them.

"Don't worry, I got this!" Tom cracked his knuckles.

Tom lunged at the beast and punched it in the face. The creature didn't budge and he stepped back, nonchalantly dusting his shirt.

Tom sighed. "Yeah, this is gonna hurt."

The beast smacked Tom back and he landed at the others' feet.

"Run!" Dipper yelled.

The four ran into the woods and the beast chased after them.

"What do we do? What do we do?" Pacifica panicked.

"We should get back to camp! Someone could help us!" Mabel yelled.

"No, we'll just get everyone in danger." Dipper drew out his journal. "We need to find a way to defeat it somehow."

"Yeah, use your 'almighty' journal." Tom said sarcastically.

"Hey, what was that back there? Why'd you attack that thing?" Dipper turned to Tom.

"I'm not telling you anything." Tom said bluntly.

Dipper frowned and flipped through the journal frantically. "Man, there's nothing in here! I've never seen this monster before!"

"So now what?" Pacifica asked.

Dipper sifted his mind. "Ah-ha! we'll trap it."

"Oh, oh, that is such a genius plan! And how're we supposed to capture a beast like that?" Pacifica frowned.

The beast knocked a tree over and she screamed, nearly tripping over a falling branch.

"Be careful!" Dipper helped Pacifica up and ran on. "We need to find someplace to capture it." He tried to think.

"Well, think fast because it's gaining on us!" Mabel looked behind her.

Dipper turned to the beast and sifted his mind. "Ah-ha!"

* * *

DIPPER LOOKED around as Tom, Mabel and Pacifica climbed up onto the hill in Gravity Falls valley. Tom saw the bridge and cliffs in the distance and huffed.

"Great! Now we have the joy of looking at a ship before we die - how will this help us!?" Tom turned to Dipper.

"Relax, I've got this covered." Dipper kicked a rock aside, revealing a hole with a ladder going into the depths. The guys looked at it in awe.

"Oh, shit." Pacifica said and the others looked at her in surprise. "What? I'm surprised - get off my ass." She crossed her arms.

The monster's roar came in the distance and Dipper gestured to the hole. "Come on, quickly"

The guys climbed down and Dipper jumped in, pulling the rock to cover the hole after them. The beast jumped onto the hill and sniffed around, growling angrily.

* * *

DIPPER GOT off the ladder and the others looked around the old, rusty ship.

"Whoa, this is so cool." Pacifica said.

"I can't believe you've never shown this to me." Mabel said.

"Wait, how do you know about this space craft anyway?" Pacifica asked Dipper.

"Well, I -,"

"It's not that impressive, I've seen better - it's kinda outdated actually." Tom said bluntly.

"Outdated?" Mabel raised her brow.

"Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa, how can a spaceship with technology far more advanced than earth's be outdated? How have you seen better?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah, it's a long story." Tom said.

"Oh, then you've gotta tell me." Mabel pulled Tom aside and she bumped into a button on a wall, opening a nearby vault. "Whoa! I didn't do that!" She backed away.

"What is this stuff?" Dipper looked inside the vault and saw some artefacts.

"I'm getting souvenirs!" Mabel said.

"Get in line, Mabel!" Pacifica moved up to the vault.

Mabel grabbed a necklace and Pacifica picked a ring.

"Ooh." Mabel put on the necklace.

"Not too shabby." Pacifica looked at the ring.

Dipper looked inside the vault and picked up a round, compass shaped device with a touchscreen. He eyed it fondly.

"Wow." Dipper's eyes shone.

"Tom, you're not getting anything?" Mabel turned to Tom.

"Nah, I don't need that stuff." He shrugged.

Mabel ogled Tom when a loud crash rocked the ship and a metal plate fell from the hole they came from. The beast crashed down and stalked towards the four.

"Oh, fu -,"

Mabel slapped a sticker on Pacifica's mouth with the words, "Don't be 'Vol'gur' with a picture of an erupting volcano. Pacifica frowned at her.

"What? We have a sorta 'G' rating to uphold." Mabel crossed her arms.

The beast lunged at them and a shadow swooped past. A gash split beast's chest open and its blood splashed out. The beast fell over and Pacifica turned to Mabel, raising her brow.

"What? I still stand by it." Mabel stuck her nose at her.

"What happened?" Dipper squinted.

The guys turned and saw a figure in the shadows. It walked into the light, revealing itself to be a young man with white long hair with braids, blue eyes, pointy ears, a grey mantle, silver armour over white shirt with bracelets and deep green pants with black boots and wielding a sword.

"Beautiful stranger." Mabel gasped.

"Are you literally gonna fall in love with every guy you meet?" Dipper said sarcastically.

"Hey, you're still not over Wendy yet!" Mabel pointed out.

Dipper groaned and Pacifica glanced at him. "Halt, intruders!" The alien held his sword out at them and they panicked.

"Wait, wait, wait! We're not intruders!" Dipper backed away slowly.

"Then why are you on our ship? What did you do to the crew?" Alfonse asked.

"Nothing, I swear! We found it this way." Dipper said.

"Found it this way?" The alien stepped back. "What happened?"

"This ship's been crashed for a very long time and there have been no signs of life here." Dipper explained.

"So ... Everyone is dead?" The alien's eyes dilated in horror.

"Wait, how have you been here this long and you didn't know?" Dipper asked.

"I've been in stasis for a while." The alien sifted his mind. "There was an attack." He looked around. "What year is it?"

"2016." Dipper answered.

"2016!?" Alfonse's eyes dilated in shock and frowned. "They've been dead that long then …"

Dipper saw his sorrow. "... Y-yeah."

The alien looked around the ship and looked down at his sword, staring at the blade sombrely. He sighed shakily. "You-you can go." The alien said solemnly.

The alien walked off and Dipper saw him stand alone quietly. Dipper started to leave and Mabel grabbed his arm.

"We can't just leave him like this." Mabel said in a hushed voice.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" Dipper turned to her.

"Something! He just saved our lives, we should repay him." Mabel insisted.

Dipper looked at the alien and sifted his mind. He sighed and turned to him. "It seems you don't have a home anymore. You wanna come with us?"

"Where?" The alien asked.

"We're attending summer camp - there must be a free dorm. You could stay there for a while." Dipper said.

"What is this 'dorm' and 'summer' you speak of?" The alien asked.

"That's not the point here." Dipper walked up to him. "We're gonna give you some place to stay for a while."

"And what about the ship?" The alien looked around.

"There's nobody here and we can't just abandon you. Tell you what, you come with us and lay low and I'll look for a way to get you back to your planet." Dipper said.

"You could do that?" The alien's face lit up with hope.

"Hey, it's worth a try." Dipper smiled. "Come on."

The alien looked at the ship then at the guys. He steeled himself and sheathed his sword, following them.

"Wait, where do you come from anyway?" Dipper asked.

"I'm Alfonse Eric; I'm from the elven race of Alfheim." The alien said.

"Dreamy, an elf." Mabel sighed.

"Huh, your name's pretty English for an alien." Tom pointed out.

"That is true and I believe it's a reference to something." Alfonse said.

* * *

DIPPER, MABEL, Alfonse, Tom and Pacifica entered the camp grounds. The teens yawned and Pacifica looked at her watch. Her voice muffled and she realized the sticker was still on.

Pacifica ripped the sticker off. "Great, we missed the morning hike!"

"That's right you did!" Mr Poolcheck's voice came.

Mr Poolcheck stood amongst the campers, most of who were exhausted, and Wendy who fanned herself with her hat.

"I can see the light!" Jerry collapsed.

"Leaving campgrounds without permission? You better have a good explanation!" Mr Poolcheck frowned.

Dipper glanced at Wendy, subtly asking for her help. She looked at Alfonse and nodded to Dipper.

"Ah, no, sorry, sir." Wendy stood beside Alfonse. "I sent them to pick up a late camper. His name is ..." She nudged him.

"A-Alfonse, Alfonse Eric." Alfonse said quickly.

"Those are some strange ears." Mr Poolcheck studied him.

"Wait, what?" Alfonse raised his brow.

"Uh, yes! That's why he was late; he was getting treatment for them." Wendy covered Alfonse's ears. "He's sensitive about them."

"What's wrong with my ears? What's wrong with yours?" Alfonse asked and frowned.

Wendy covered his mouth. "He's special."

"Hmm ... Okay." Mr Poolcheck looked around. "You'll be in Team Royalty."

"What?" Pacifica turned to Sherry who smirked.

"The rest of you, get back to your dorms and freshen up. We'll meet here at 6AM." Mr Poolcheck said to the campers and walked off.

Wendy sighed as the campers left and she turned to Dipper. "You wanna explain what's going on?"

"I'll explain later." Dipper said. "Can show Alfonse where Team Royalty is?"

"Alright, you totally owe me, dude." Wendy said and walked off with Alfonse.

* * *

MABEL, CANDY and Grenda sat on the porch of a camp dorm as the campers roamed about in the afternoon. Alfonse stood nearby with his hair wafting gently in the breeze, making the girls swoon.

His mantle blew in the wind as well and Mabel giggled.

"He's so perfect." Mabel said.

The wind blew Alfonse off his feet and he screamed as it tried to carry him off. "Help! Help!"

Lil Gideon and Peter Rock, a tall, slim teen with close-shaved hair clad in a blue shirt, black jeans and boots, of Team Royalty came quickly and caught Alfonse, keeping him from flying off.

"See, this is why capes are evil." Lil Gideon said.

"What's up with this weather?" Peter pulled Alfonse's hand.

The girls ogled as Peter and Lil Gideon pulled Alfonse down.

"I can't keep my eyes off him!" Candy bit her lip.

"I wanna marry him!" Grenda slammed her fist down.

"That's it, I'm going for it." Mabel said.

Mabel walked off and Grenda and Candy squealed silently. Alfonse dusted his clothing and Peter chuckled.

"You've gotta get some better clothes for yourself, dude, and do something about the ears." Peter said.

"What's wrong with them?" Alfonse asked.

"Hey, Gideon, you've got a two o'clock demonic laugh, so why don't you get to it?" Mabel said sarcastically as she walked up to them.

"I do not have a demonic laugh, thank you very m -,"

Funeral bells rang loudly and Mabel raised her brow. Lil Gideon laughed uneasily and drew out his phone, stopping an alarm.

"Ooh, we've got a 2pm team meeting!" Lil Gideon walked on and turned to Peter. "Come along." He walked off.

Alfonse tapped his ears, wondering what was wrong with them and Mabel walked up to him.

"H-hi, Alfonse." Mabel said uneasily.

"Yes, Lady Mabel?" Alfonse turned to her, frowning slightly that his hair was flowing in the wind again.

"Oh, you can just call me 'Mabel'," Mabel chuckled.

"Oh, okay. So, what is it?"

Mabel looked at Alfonse and started to breath heavily. Her cheeks reddened and she hastily walked away, moving past Grenda and Candy.

"What happened?" Grenda gasped as she watched her leave.

"That has never happened before." Candy turned to Mabel. Alfonse screamed as the wind carried him off.

* * *

MABEL ENTERED her room and shut the door behind her, moving up to her bed.

"What just happened?" She touched her chest and felt her heart race. "Is this for real?"

Mabel sat on her bed and twirled her hair when, sifting her mind when the bed suddenly started to float. She screamed and fell off the bed, seeing the structure fall down as well.

"What in the world?" She scrambled to her feet.

"Wow!" A girl's voice came.

Mabel turned and saw Mary, a girl with white hair clad in a hoody with a Fairy Tail logo, Hello Kitty jeans and sneakers, on the opposite bed who ran up to her.

"Mary, I didn't know you were here." Mabel stood up.

"And I'm glad I was! Finally, I can investigate the weirdness in Gravity Falls!" Mary punched the air excitedly. "How'd you do that anyway?"

Mabel looked at her necklace and her brows stitched. "I don't know."

"Well, we're gonna figure it out." Mary grinned.

* * *

MABEL AND Mary emerged from the mess hall and moved through the main grounds, walking past the campers who roamed about.

"You know I hadn't finished eating yet, right?" Mabel said.

"And that's not important - what's important is figuring out how you pulled that off." Mary said.

Mabel and Mary walked past Morris of Team Elf, a slim, brunette-haired teen wearing a blue shirt, black jacket, blue jeans and shoes, who walked up to a small building. He looked around and smirked.

Morris peeped at girls showering through a hole in the wall. He drew out his phone when a hand suddenly grabbed him.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Wendy frowned.

"Um, I'm just, uh -,"

Pacifica phased through the wall and collapsed on the ground with only her towel covering her. Sherry, Charlie and Clarisse, a short girl with straight shoulder-length hair that wore a blue dress and white boots, of Team Narwhal Blast walked by and see her.

"Oh, poor Pacifica. I know nothing's going well for you, but you don't have to strip to get attention." Sherry said smugly.

Pacifica blushed with embarrassment and the other campers laughed at her, Morris taking pictures with a snicker.

"Give me that!" Wendy grabbed the phone. "Hey, get outta here!" Wendy yelled, causing the campers to disperse and she helped Pacifica up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think." Pacifica looked around uneasily. "What the hell just happened?" Her ring glowed.

* * *

MABEL STOOD amongst Grenda, Candy and Mary in the woods and held her arms forward. The girls looked at a tree stump intently. Mabel bit her lip then huffed and stepped back.

"I'm sorry, guys; I know it has something to do with this necklace, but I have no idea what's going on." Mabel looked around unsurely.

"There's something we're just not doing right. Maybe you should hold it. Try again." Mary said.

"Here goes."

Mabel clutched the necklace and held her hand out to the stump. Grenda crossed her fingers and Candy muttered to herself. Mary smiled, nearly bursting with anticipation.

"I give up, it's not working." Mabel stepped back.

"Come on, Mabel, I need to see this!" Grenda clenched her fists.

"I'm sorry, girls, but it's not working." Mabel said.

"Well, what if we -," Mary tried to say.

A fire erupted in the woods and began to spread out.

"What the?" Grenda looked around.

Grenda looked around and saw Luke of Team Gurren, a tall, slim, bug-eyed, brunette-haired boy clad in a blue leather jacket, blue jeans and black shoes, who ran off.

"Great, it's that pyromaniac Luke." Grenda frowned.

"Oh, no, this looks really bad," Candy said as the fire grew larger.

"I'll go get Wendy" Mary said.

Mary ran on, but the fire cut her off. She backtracked towards the others and they backed away from the growing furnace.

"We're trapped!" Candy panicked.

"What do we do?" Grenda asked.

Mabel looked around in a panic as the fire drew nearer. Candy jumped back as the fires reached her feet and the girls got pinned against a wall. The fire rose and Mabel screamed, holding her hands up in fear.

Blue energy spread out from Mabel's hands and it enveloped the fire, collecting it in a large ball before the girls.

"Oh, my God." Grenda gasped.

"You did it!" Mary said.

"Whoa, telekinesis ..." Mabel said in excitement. "Cool!"

The girls talked amongst themselves excitedly. Mabel's necklace glowed.

* * *

DIPPER SQUEEZED his way through a metal fence and entered a sidewalk. He walked on when he heard rustling in the bushes. Dipper turned around and saw Tom behind him.

"Wait, it's not what you think!" Dipper said hastily.

"You're ditching camp? I'm okay with that - I'm a little bored anyways." Tom shrugged.

"Oh, okay." Dipper walked on and Tom followed.

"So, where're we going?" Tom asked.

"Why should I tell you?" Dipper raised his brow.

"I told you I'm bored." Tom shrugged. "So, where're we going?"

"I just wanna stop by my great uncle's old shop." Dipper said.

"Lead the way." Tom pocketed his hands.

"Okay, fine, whatever." Dipper walked on.

* * *

DIPPER AND Tom entered the Mystery Shack and found it empty. Melanie entered the room and saw them.

"Dipper? Is that you?" She smiled.

"Did someone say Dipper?" Soos ran into the room and gasped. "Dude, it is you!"

"Soos, my man." Dipper fist bumped with Soos.

"Man, it's been so long." Soos laughed and turned to Tom. "What's your name, little dude?"

"Tom McCarthy." Tom said.

"That's a rad shirt, dude bro," Soos turned to Dipper. "So, what brings you here, Dipper? Aren't you at camp or something?"

"I just wanted to check up on you is all. How's business going?" Dipper asked.

"It's um ... well," Soos scratched his head.

"We have customers, heh." Melanie laughed uneasily.

"It's not going so well, is it?" Dipper said.

"I guess running the shack isn't as easy as it looks, but we're still getting there." Soos huffed.

"Have you heard anything from Grunkle Stan and Ford?" Dipper asked.

"No, except for some weird faxes."

"Weird?" Dipper's brows stitched.

"Yeah, I'll show you." Soos said.

* * *

SOOS WALKED up to the fax machine in Stan's old office with a couple papers next to it. Dipper and Tom walked up to him and he handed them to Dipper.

"They must be in some strange code or something." Soos said.

Dipper received the paper and read it. "Looks like a Caesar Cipher."

"Maybe A1Z26." Tom took a peak.

Dipper read the fax. "It's a combined cipher."

Dipper drew out his journal and copied the coded faxes down on it.

"What're you doing?" Soos asked.

"The faxes were coded and I'm trying to decipher it. It's a little tricky though." Dipper cracked the code.

"What does it say?" Soos leaned toward Dipper.

"It might take a while, but ..." Dipper held up the journal and cleared his throat. "'Dipper, if you see this letter, be careful who reads it with you. I'm not sure about everything yet, but I know something's been watching me',"

"What's going on?" Soos asked.

Dipper worriedly continued reading, "'Stan and I are in danger – Weirdmageddon isn't over yet'," The guys looked at each other in shock.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Please review, we'd love to know what you think and if you have any ideas for future chapters. If you liked this fic, follow or favourite and check out our other fanfics. Thanks!**


	3. Stone Crusher

**Hey, Welcome to the Universe! It's time for the next instalment in the Gravity Falls saga. Sorry for taking so long – I've been a bit busy, but know that this book hasn't been abandoned. We've got some stories in the works and we're psyched to put out our next book. Here we go!**

* * *

 **STONE CRUSHER**

"WEIRDMAGEDDON ISN'T over? What does this mean?" Dipper contemplated as he inspected the letter once more while walking down a sidewalk in town.

"What is 'Weirdmageddon' anyway? Some kinda dumb sounding monster?" Tom asked.

"Weirdmageddon isn't a monster. Last summer, an inter-dimensional being called Bill Cipher came to Gravity Falls and threatened to destroy all reality in one big event he called Weirdmageddon. We thought we defeated him, but I guess we were wrong." Dipper's brows formed a scowl and Tom deadpanned. "Yeah, I bet you think I'm nuts."

"No, just realizing I'm at a point where that seems normal." Tom said.

"How are you calm about this anyway?" Dipper shifted to him. "You were unfazed by the spaceship and you attacked that monster – who are you?"

"Mm, let's just say I've been to space and I can do this." Tom held out his hand and red fire erupted from it. "Also, I'm not an alien … I think." He shrugged and walked off.

Dipper blinked from shock. "I think I'm gonna need a better explanation than that." He followed him.

"You don't wanna know my full story." Tom pocketed his hands. "Trust me." He sighed. "Great, just when Mary's starting to have fun, things start going insane again."

"Yeah, it'd be good to keep Mabel out of this." Dipper drew out the touchscreen compass and it glowed, releasing a small light that moved over the letter he held in his other hand. He looked at it and it'd saved the letter. "Whoa."

"Look, whatever happens, let's try to keep this away from the girls as long as possible – I don't want to drag Mary into my stuff again." Tom said.

"And your stuff would be?"

"Not telling ya." Tom said and Dipper groaned in response.

* * *

THE SOUNDS of rock music filled Wendy's messy room as she sat on the couch beside the bed and across from the TV and ate popcorn from a bowl while talking on the phone. "Whoa, Robbie got arrested?"

"Yeah, said I should bring him stuff to help him 'bust out'." Tambry's said on the other end. "Like I'm gonna help him."

"Oh, come on, he's a good kid … who tried to rob a liquor store while a cop was in there." Wendy chuckled.

"Ugh, don't remind me of that."

"Anyway, Mr Poolcheck's out and it's a Saturday," Wendy looked out the window, letting the afternoon sunlight in "So, maybe we can blow Robbie off and hang out somewhere."

"Man, why'd I date that guy!? Ugh, I still remember and feel everything." Tambry shuddered.

"See you later, Tambry." Wendy laughed and cut the line, getting off the couch.

Putting the popcorn on a nearby counter, she stood up and looked at her messy room: the clothes on the bed, makeup on the floor and beer bottles near the door, and shrugged, deeming it clean enough for her to leave. Wendy stepped out on the camp grounds and everything seemed normal as the campers roamed about. Pocketing her hands, she headed for the gate, ready to ditch when a boy called her.

"Hey, Wendy!" Mitch, the leader of Team Chicks Dig Giant Robots, walked up to her. "We've got a problem – Lily and Charlie are missing."

"What? Pfft! Those two are always running off and stuff; no big deal." Wendy said.

"You don't understand, it's been **hours** since they left and they missed lunch." Mitch said. "Lily **never** misses lunch."

Wendy sighed and cursed under her breath. She blew her whistle and drew the campers' attention. "Alright, campers, we've got an announcement to make." She walked to the centre of the compound as they turned to her. "Camp's on lockdown." Mumbling started to spread and she continued. "Lily and Charlie are lost again and I don't want anybody else to stray off, so I'm gonna look for her. The camp leaders will be in charge in the meantime, so be on the lookout."

The campers shared worried looks and Dipper, who was on the porch of his camp dorm, stood up quickly. "Hey, Wendy, I can help ya out."

"No, Dipper, I'll handle this." Wendy said.

"Come on, you know you'll need me on this." Dipper said.

Wendy huffed. "Fine, whatever, let's get this over with." She walked on.

"You might need my services as well." Alfonse walked up to her.

"Yeah, yeah, me too!" Mabel jumped up, excitedly following Alfonse.

"Okay, Alfonse and Dipper can come, but the rest of you stay here, okay? I don't want a large team that'll end up getting lost during the search." Wendy said and Mabel pouted as she headed out with Dipper and Alfonse. "Alright, guys remember: be on the lookout – we don't want anyone else getting lost!" Wendy said.

"You got it." Mitch said and watched them leave.

"Alright, so, what're we gonna do?" Pacifica walked up to him.

"Um, I think Wendy said the camp leaders are in charge, not pretentious washouts." Sherry, the leader of Team Royalty, said and flicked her hair at her.

"Alright, calm down, there's no reason to start a fight here." Karen, the leader of Team Gurren, said as she walked up to them with Christopher of Team Narwhal Blast, and Grenda of Team Elf.

"Okay, so we need to split up duties amongst ourselves to keep things running smoothly." Mitch said. "So, Grenda, you –,"

"Wait, so fat ass's gonna run on point? Now, that's bullshit." Christopher scoffed.

"Yeah, I should be in charge." Grenda said.

"You know what? I've had enough of shit, Chris!" Mitch frowned.

"Then do something about it, dough boy." Christopher pushed him back.

"You motherfu –,"

"Guys, the others are watching us." Kris pushed them apart. "How're they gonna respect us if we don't respect each other?"

"Well, I'm not gonna respect Pacifica and her fake blonde hair." Sherry said.

"What!?" Pacifica said, nearly screaming.

"You heard me, plastic bitch." Sherry looked her in the eye.

A fight quickly ensued and Kris shook her head in disappointment. "Why do I always end up dealing with a bunch of children?"

* * *

WENDY, ALFONSE and Dipper made their way through the forest; having walked for an hour, and came upon a large log in their path. Alfonse and Wendy hopped over the log easily and when Dipper's turn came, he struggled.

"You alright there, buddy? Need a hand?" Wendy stretched her hand out to him.

"No, no, I'm fine." Dipper latched onto the wood, holding it tight, and pulled himself over, plopping on the ground on the other side.

"There you go." Wendy said with a smile. "Now let's keep moving." She walked on.

Dipper dusted himself, glanced around and rubbed his am discreetly as he felt embarrassed. Following them quickly, he drew out the compass and looked at the scanned letter once more, assuming that the device was capable of scanning various objects. With that in mind, he dubbed it the Grimoire and walked on when he tripped over something and nearly fell.

"Whoa, you okay, dude?" Wendy moved up to him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Dipper quickly adjusted his clothes.

"You probably aren't meant for the outdoors." Alfonse said.

"Ha, ha, funny." Dipper said sarcastically.

"Hey, what's this?" Wendy looked at the spot he'd just tripped upon and saw that it was a large, humanoid footprint with three toes.

"That doesn't look Terran at all." Alfonse squatted beside her.

"What?" Wendy squinted.

"He just means it's not human." Dipper said quickly and pulled out his journal, flipping through its pages. "Oh, oh, it's the Devilknight Ogre, a cannibal race of super strong ogre that capture humans, cook them and eat them … at the highest point." His eyes dilated in horror.

"The kids!" Wendy said in a panic.

"They've gotta be at Mount Camp!" Dipper pointed at the mountain in the distance. "That's the highest point around here."

"What's Midgardians' obsession with the word 'camp'?" Alfonse asked.

"What?" Wendy raised her brow.

"Come on, we've gotta find the others!" Dipper ran off and Alfonse and Wendy tailed him.

The three ran through the forest, moving hastily toward the large mountain when they came across a ogre knocking trees aside. "Wait, stop!" Wendy said in a hushed tone and pointed at a rock they all hid behind. She looked over it with the boys and turned to Dipper. "Is that it?"

"Yeah." Dipper squinted as he studied the beast. It was bipedal, stout, had green skin, pointed ears and a horn on its forehead, a thick beard, wore medieval armour.

"I never thought you'd have ogres here on Midgard." Alfonse said.

"What?"

"He means –," Dipper tried to explain.

"He's an alien elf?" Wendy said bluntly.

"Yeah." Dipper sighed.

"Figures." Wendy continued studying the ogre.

"Oh, is it because of my ears?" Alfonse frowned.

Dipper watched the ogre more and quickly flipped through the journal. "You remember something?" Wendy asked.

"The journal says the monsters are a warrior race and if so …" He found the page. "Why is this one walking around unarmed …?"

"Unless …" Wendy realized.

"Oh crap."

A rumbling came behind them and Wendy turned to see the ground split apart and head straight toward them. "Look out!" She yelled.

The three jumped back as the ground broke apart and they scrambled to their feet as four large ogres came their way. "We've gotta get outta here!" Dipper stepped back.

"No, we fight." Alfonse drew out a broadsword from his sheath.

"Whoa." Wendy jerked back in astonishment. Alfonse ran up to an ogre with a mace and it swung at him, missing wildly as he swerved out of the way and slashed its side with his blade.

Dipper frowned and fished out his book, flipping through its pages. "There's gotta be something in here to defeat them.

"Relax, Dipper." Alfonse jumped back as an ogre swung its axe at him. "Valour Chalice will take care of it." He held his sword at his side and symbols along the blade came alight, causing the blade's metal to transform.

Alfonse ran up to a beast and locked blades with its axe, causing the ground to shake, and he gave it a swift kick to the stomach, sending it flying through a tree. The other ogre swung its mace at him, he dodged it swiftly and it grabbed his shoulder, about to throw him. Alfonse shifted his weight and flipped the monster over his shoulder, tossing it onto the last two ogres. He held out the sword and ran his hand over the blade, causing it to glow and transform into a golden bow. An arrow appeared out of thin air and he drew it, firing at the ogres and setting them ablaze.

"Woo, go Alfonse!" Wendy cheered, drawing a frown from Dipper.

"It's all in the swing." Alfonse smirked as he brandished the bow and turned it back into a sword, placing it across his shoulders.

Dipper sighed then staggered back suddenly. "Alfonse, look out!"

"What?" Alfonse turned and a massive ogre smacked him aside with its broad arms, sending him through a tree and it ran toward them.

"Dipper, run!" Wendy yelled.

"I'm not running!" He frowned. The ogre punched the ground and broke it apart, sending a trench between Dipper and Wendy that caused Wendy to tumble down a slope. "Wendy!" Dipper cried then turned to large beast that ran toward him.

The monster threw a punch at Dipper and he ran forward, rolling between the beast's legs and he ran toward the spot Wendy had fallen from. He looked down and saw a stream up ahead, but Wendy was nowhere in sight. He saw the ogre stir and turned to Alfonse, clenching his fist in anger as he ran up to him. Picking Alfonse up quickly, Dipper ran off into the trees, zigzagging and evading the ogre that started to chase them.

Dipper flipped through the book, trying not to panic as he heard trees collapse behind him. "Come on, come on; give me something!" A tree crashed near him and he fell on his side, dropping Alfonse and the book. The ogre turned to him and made chase. Dipper quickly grabbed the book and yelled the first spell he saw. "Enchantus Luminus!" He held out his hand, releasing a bright light from it.

The beast screamed and covered its eyes, thrashing about and bumping into trees clumsily. Dipper watched the ogre tumble about and he took the opportunity to grab Alfonse and flee.

* * *

ALFONSE GRUNTED as he came to, pushing himself up and feeling a pang on his shoulder which he quickly latched onto. He looked around and saw that he was in a cave, lying down on a bed of leaves next to a fire with his sword and shirt lain nearby. He looked at his shoulder and saw a gash that'd been freshly stitched and other wounds on his side that were just cleaned. He turned to the mouth of the cave nearby as Dipper walked in.

"Oh, you're awake." Dipper said as he moved to the centre of the room. "Hopefully I did I good job tending to your wounds.

"What happened?" Alfonse asked.

"An ogre attacked you and knocked Wendy off a cliff and I can't find her anywhere." Dipper ran his hand through his hair. "Dammit, if I only I had listened to her when she told me to run none of this shit would have happened!" He tossed his cap on the ground. He huffed. "I ruined everything."

Alfonse saw Dipper's anger and he pushed himself up, biting his tongue as he felt pain spread through his abdomen. "Dipper, you're wrong – I was the one at fault."

"You? You fought off the ogres, I wanted to run away."

"And that's what we should've done." Alfonse said. "If we'd retreated, we'd have formulated a better plan than fighting blindly. I shouldn't have jumped in without thinking."

"Well, at least you did something." Dipper frowned. "All I did was read the journal like I've always done and … I thought I had moved on from it."

"Dipper, I may have only been here for a week, but I can tell that you're not meant to move on from your reading." Alfonse leaned against a wall. "Wendy and I may be adept at survival in the woods, but without you and your journal, we would have no real idea where the campers are. Knowledge is your power, embrace it."

Dipper looked at the journal and smiled. "Thanks."

"And stop trying so hard – women don't like that." Alfonse said.

Dipper frowned then chuckled when a loud roar echoed from inside the cave. "What the …?"

* * *

BUBBLING, THE smell of coal, smoke and … tomatoes? Wendy blinked as she came to and saw that she was seated in a cage suspended by a chain from the ceiling. She looked around and saw different campers held within cages like she was in a large kitchen. There was Lily, Charlie, Jerry, Clarisse, Morris – a brunette boy with a black jacket over a blue shirt and jeans –, Mus – a raven-haired boy with a white shirt, navy blue pants and shoes –, Candy, Luke and Melvin – a brunette boy with a purple shirt, black pants and sneakers –, who all stirred up as she awoke.

"Oh, thank heaven, you're awake!" Lil Gideon said with glee as the others chattered as well.

"Wendy, you have to do something before they eat us." Candy grabbed the bars of her cage.

"Isn't life about being eaten?" Mus said calmly without a care in the world.

"Screw you, I'm not being eaten!" Jerry yelled.

"Isn't life about being screwed?" Mus grinned, trying to annoy Jerry.

The campers chattered and Wendy continued to look around and spotted an ogre stirring a large cauldron at the centre of the room. She frowned then saw weapons laid up on the wall and smirked. She turned to the others. "Guys calm down – we'll get through this if we keep quiet."

"I don't wanna die!" Morris burst into tears.

"Shh!" Wendy put a finger to her lip.

Candy held Morris' shut and nodded to Wendy who looked around and thought of a plan. The ogre continued to cook around the cauldron and slowly formed a thick soup that came to a boil. Looking around, the beast muttered to itself and headed out, breaking the silence as it slammed the door and got the campers agitated again.

"Oh Lord Almighty, he's gonna make soup out of us!" Gideon panicked.

"I wonder if I'll taste delicious – I am pretty sweet." Candy giggled.

Wendy shut out the noisy campers and started to search through her pockets. She cursed to herself, wishing she had a hairpin and grinned as she found a paperclip. Straightening the metal, she moved up to the lock and fiddled with it, moving it through the locking mechanism and praying that it wouldn't snap.

The campers continued to panic when the sound of Wendy's cage opening drew their attention. "Wendy, you're brilliant!" Candy said excitedly.

Wendy jumped down to the ground and quickly ran toward the wall, B-lining straight to a large axe on the wall. She grabbed it and grunted as it weighed a ton, struggling with it when Nordic runes appeared on it, causing it to feel lighter. "Huh, guess daddy raised a lumberjack after all." She smirked. "Hang on, guys!"

She moved up to the caves and hacked the locks with the axe, freeing the campers one by one and allowing them to jump out. "Yes, I'm not dying today! Suck it, aliens!" Jerry yelled as the campers cheered.

"Guys, we have to keep quiet or we'll draw their atten –," Wendy tried to speak when the door budged. Gesturing for them to run toward the wall, Wendy sped up to it and waited for it to open. The ogre entered the room, looking around in a panic and didn't notice the girl behind him who swung her axe and smashed it against his head, knocking him out instantly. "Alright, guys, follow me!" Wendy said and she ran out.

Wendy lead the kids through the unknown, manoeuvring halls and coming across several weapons hanging off racks that she had to desperately keep Lily away from. They made a turn to their left and found eight trolls donning armour in a hall and they all turned to them. An awkward silence came.

"'Sup." Wendy nodded nonchalantly and the beasts roared at her. "Fine, we'll skip the pleasantries." She smacked an ogre across the head, sending it tumbling onto the others. "Run!"

She sped down the opposite hall and turned back, seeing the ogres gain on them. She looked onward and Alfonse and Dipper entered the hall, nearly smacking into them. "Wendy!" Dipper said excitedly. "Oh, thank God you're alright!"

"Yeah, I don't think we have time to catch up – the ogres are coming!" Wendy pointed behind her.

"Well, follow us, we know the way out." The group quickly followed Dipper and Alfonse and they made quick progress as Alfonse went to the back and knocked back any ogres that were beginning to catch up. They made a left and Dipper turned to Wendy. "Almost there!" He said with a grin when they came upon a horde of ogres. "Oh, man!"

The campers started to panic as they looked both sides and were caught between two hordes of ogres. Dipper fished out his journal and started to read. "Alright, there's gotta be some spell we can use that –,"

"Yeah, a plan won't cut it." Wendy said and she smashed the wall to her left with the axe, making a hole into the next hall. "Move, move, move!" She gestured for the campers run in and the ogres caught up to her as she followed them. "Bye, bye!" She hit the ceiling with her axe, causing it to collapse and crush them. "Alright, campers, follow me!"

The campers cheered and followed Wendy as she ran down the new hallway. Alfonse ran on and Dipper looked down at his journal, huffing to himself as he failed to contribute again. He looked at the campers being led by Wendy and lamented: "Guess she doesn't need my help anymore …"

"Yo, Dipper, you coming?" Wendy said as she and the campers stopped running. "We need your ass over here up in this bitch."

"Coming!" He ran up to them.

* * *

WENDY AND the campmates walked for nearly an hour and chatted all the way back to camp. Oddly enough though, Dipper remained silent the entire walk back – Wendy was sure he'd at least be curious about the axe. All's well that ends well in her opinion and as she turned by the large rock at the forest entrance, she expected to find the camp just as she left. She was wrong.

The camp was in chaos as campers ran about and wrecked things while the camp leaders argued and fought amongst each other: Mitch and Christopher throwing blows, Pacifica and Sherry trying to rip each other's hair out and Grenda watching with glee while Karen groaned in disgust.

"What the hell is happening?!" Wendy yelled and she looked around. "All of you, clean up this mess and go back to your dorms!" The campers looked at each other in shock. "Now!"

The campers ran off and Dipper chuckled in surprise. "Huh, never thought you'd snap like that."

"Oh, this is ridiculous." Wendy walked up to the camp leaders and pulled them apart. "What is this? I thought I left you guys in charge."

"Yeah, but this son of a bitch shitted on everything!" Mitch frowned.

"He's my brother, asshole." Wendy frowned and Christopher chuckled. "Shut up, dumbass! Kitchen duty for all of you for the rest of the week!" The other leaders whined.

"It's not fair." Pacifica complained.

"You wanna make it two?" Wendy said.

"No, ma'am." Pacifica shook her head.

"Then move it!" Wendy shouted and sighed as they left. "Man, I don't wanna do that again." She looked at her watch and saw that it was 6pm. Well, guess I'm not going anywhere." She turned to the group of campers behind her. "Sorry about that guys – why don't you clean up and meet back at the Mess Hall, okay?"

"You're a lifesaver, Camp Assistant Manager – and I thought you were just some dumb ol' hick." Gideon said with a giggle and walked off.

"Uh, thanks?" Wendy said uneasily and saw Dipper walk by. "Hey, Dipper." He turned to her. "You did good out there."

Dipper smiled and she walked off, heading back to her cabin and shutting the door behind her. Looking at the mess around her, she picked a handful of popcorn and ate it – completely ignoring how stale it'd become – and went over to her couch. She plopped on the couch and looked at the axe, seeing the runes glow on it.

"Today didn't go as planned, but it had a bad ass twist instead. I'm gonna call you Stone Crusher." She put the axe down and sat back. "Meh, I'll think of something better."

* * *

ROBBIE LOOKED out the window of his cell and squinted through the dim night light. "Psst! Tambry," he waited, "Tambry!" there was no response, "Tambry! ... Tambers? … T-Tama … Is this because of what I made you do last time?"

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I just watched Moana recently – BEST MOVIE THIS YEAR! – and I've been geared for a fic for it, but don't have any tangible ideas. So, do you guys have any ideas for a fic, chapter, original character or just general concept for a Moana fic you'd like us to tacle? Leave your answers in the comments. Any answer is welcome and we'll get back to you on the next instalment on which idea we like most and will try to put in the works.**

 **Thanks for reading! Follow so you don't miss our next instalment and if you want more fics, check out our Adventure Time fanfic entitled World Chaos or our Star Butterfly fic entitled Star vs the World - really proud of those two. As always, Await the Awesomeness as we dive further into the Universe. See you next time!**


	4. Pixies Are Jerks

"REVOLUTION!" JERRY yelled into a megaphone before a small group of angry campers in the morning on campgrounds, "We cannot let what happened go unheard! We won't let the camp managers get away with what happened during the ogre attack!"

"Wait, guys, guys," Mus drew the attention of the campers, "… Isn't life about being attacked?"

"We won't be mocked!" Jerry yelled, getting the group angrier and getting a chuckle from Mus.

"Ugh, what is happening?" Wendy walked out of her cabin and saw the campers protesting. "Ugh, unbelievable." She moved up to them and grabbed the bullhorn from Jerry, yelling in his ear: "What're you guys doing?!"

Jerry recoiled and rubbed his ear and Mitch stepped out of the group. "We want to speak to Mr Poolcheck."

"About what?" Wendy raised her brow.

"About what? Campers were abducted by **ogres** yesterday! Something should be done about this!"

"Like what? You came to Gravity Falls, didn't you? This place is weird as shit, remember?" She lifted her badge, "Camp **Mystery** Camp, dude." She tossed him the megaphone. "Knock yourself out, bra." She walked up to the centre of the camp. "Okay, if they're campers who're still interested in **camping** , we're going out for a scavenger hunt!"

Campers cheered in excitement and followed Wendy as she picked up her axe and headed into the forest. Mitch frowned and gave Jerry the bullhorn, continuing the protest with the small group.

* * *

THE CAMPERS headed deep into the woods, moving past taller trees and beginning to see stranger and weirder wildlife. The out-of-towners grew more and more on-edge while Wendy, Dipper, Pacifica, Mabel and Mary got more excited, and Tom grew more disinterested. Alfonse looked around in awe and turned to Wendy.

"I'm quite amazed at how vastly populated Midgard is." He said. "Do you perhaps have any Frost Giants?"

"Well, I don't know what those are, but I bet we got 'em." Wendy smirked.

"Fascinating!" Alfonse grinned and drew out his sword.

"So, what're we looking for exactly?" Dipper asked.

"Well, I've got a list of monsters and objects to give you guys – just gotta find the spot where you start the search."

"Team Narwhal Blast is gonna win!" Mabel grinned.

"Yeah!" Mary chimed in.

"As if! Team Pacifica will be the winner." Pacifica said.

"Heh, dream on!" Mary frowned.

Dipper saw the girls argue and chuckled when something caught his eye. "Oh, sweet!" He ran up to a gem stuck between two rocks and picked it up. "An invisibility gem! It allows the user to see things that are invisible and see through different light spectrums!"

"Perfect!" Pacifica grabbed it from him. "Now we have the advantage!"

"Na-uh!" Mary tugged at it

"Uh-huh!" Pacifica pulled back and they started fighting.

"Whoa, guys, calm down." Wendy walked up to them. "The contest hasn't even started ye –,"

Lily snatched the gem and ran up to a rock. "The world is a Swiss roll with bacon!" She took a heroic stance and held the jewel before her. "Onward, Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst! To the Batcave!" She yelled and ran off.

"Oh God, not her again." Wendy groaned. "Lily, get back here!"

"She's getting away with the gem!" Pacifica yanked Dipper along.

"What're grabbing me for?"

The campers saw Wendy run on and they followed her as she chased after Lily who ran about and cackled inanely. Twirling about, Lily sang the British National Anthem backwards then jumped over a rock, entering an opening in the forest. The campers chased after her and Dipper stopped as he caught up to them, looking around and seeing the crystals peppering the ground.

He saw a large cluster of them at the centre of the opening and gasped. "Oh no."

"Hey, give that back!" Mabel ran after Lily then started to slow down. "Wait, haven't I been here before –,"

A bright light flashed, blinding each of the campers. Grunts and groans spread amongst the campers and they looked at the massive world around them as the grass and trees spread upwards of several metres. A fright erupted amongst the campmates and Dipper frowned as he realized what'd happened.

"Oh, great, we got shrunk!" He exclaimed.

"Shrunk? How'd that happen!?" Wendy asked.

"I'll explain later, right now we've gotta reverse this before something bad happens." He looked around and saw a blue crystal up ahead. "Come on, we've gotta get to that crystal!"

The campers ran about frantically. "What is happening!?" Christopher yelled.

"Ah, life, such a cruel mistress." Mus said calmly, floating along amongst the stampede of frightened campers blissfully. "Isn't life about being shrunk and confused?"

Dipper ran ahead of the group, leaping over rocks and manoeuvring through plants which looked like trees from their perspective as they drew closer and closer to the crystal when a sudden buzzing sound stopped them. The humming loudened steadily as the campers witnessed a large group of pixies riding bees approach them. The pixies wore medieval armour, were armed with spears and had blue skin with face paint on them. The commanding soldier landed before the surrounded campers and looked down suspiciously.

"What do we have here?" He squinted and twirled his moustache. "Is that you, Murdering Steve?"

"Murdering what?" Wendy raised her brow.

"Look away from my face when you speak to me, gypsy!" The commander yelled.

"What are you talking about?"

"You pack of gypsies have finally been caught and will get your just deserts!" The commander said. "The Queen will not take kindly to your black magic and I will finally have my revenge!"

"Revenge for what?" Wendy quickly got aggravated.

"Arrest them, good sirs!"

The pixies thrust their spears at them, marching the campers toward a large crystal with a gateway carved into it. One of the soldiers moved up to Wendy and whispered to her. "I apologise, Queen of the Wanderers – our 'Detective' Commander is quite 'passionate'." He said with a groan.

The pixies led the campers in and the door slid down, shutting behind them. Nearby, however, Mabel and Pacifica tugged at the invisibility gem relentlessly. "It's mine!" Mabel yelled.

"No, it's mine!" Pacifica pulled.

Mabel growled then stopped as she realized the others had gone. "Uh, guys? Whoa!" Pacifica yanked harder and Mabel fell on her.

* * *

"NOW, STAY here and think about your increasingly short lives, scoundrels!" Detective Commander said and slammed the bars on the campers who were held in a small cell in the crystalline palace.

The campers muttered amongst each other in terror and Wendy sifted her mind. Their belongings were taken from them, including her axe and Alfonse's weapons, so there was no way to fight. They'd have to be stealthy, so she'd need to be careful.

She moved up to the bars and looked into the hallway, seeing that it was empty from left to right. She moved to touch the bars and received a light shock, causing her to jerk back. She looked closely and saw an electric current move along the metal and she shrugged. "Well, I'm outta options."

"Well, ain't that some shit!" Tom frowned and the other campers panicked.

"Yeah." Mary sighed then jumped up, "Ooh, Tom, try blasting the door." She grinned.

"Well, I, um –,"

"Oh, Lord, why'd they take my items? I'm helpless without 'em!" Lil Gideon panicked. "How many times will I play the role of damsel in distress?"

"Dipper, do you have the journal with you?" Wendy turned to him.

"No, they took it too." Dipper said.

"Don't worry, fair maiden – I learned some magic during my training." Alfonse said and pulled off his sleeves, revealing symbols on his thick forearms.

"Whoa, cool." Wendy said enthusiastically, gaining a frown from Dipper.

"I'll just need some time to activate the spell." Alfonse said.

"Quiet in there, unless you want to feel my wrath!" The Detective Commander yelled, quickly silencing them.

Waiting for the pixie to leave, Alfonse began to chant spells and the other campers were drawn by him. Dipper grew more upset and felt useless without his book. It was only a matter of time before they were brought before the queen and he needed to figure out something fast.

* * *

"OH, GOD how could this have happened?" Pacifica paced around outside the castle. "We lost the last contest, this one is over and I'm now stuck as a half inch doll!"

"Well, you're normally plastic, so it's no biggie." Mabel quipped.

"Shut it!" Pacifica growled

"Also, our friends are in danger! Did you forget that?" Mabel frowned.

"Don't start with me, Mabel – it's your fault this happened!"

"Mine? It was Lily who ran off with the gem!"

"Ugh, what're we gonna do with this anyway!" Pacifica threw the gem and plopped on the ground. "This is hopeless."

Mabel looked around and saw Pacifica seated on the ground and looked at the castle, squinting at the crystals. Something clicked. "I think I've been here before."

"Really? When?" Pacifica stood up.

"It was, mmm, it was …" Mabel slapped her head. "Aha! It was last summer – the crystals can shrink people!"

"Great, thank you, Captain Obvious." Pacifica deadpanned.

"No, it's not just that, it …" Mabel looked around and saw a small blue crystal nearby. "It can make things bigger too." She picked up the crystal and shone it over her hand, enlarging it.

"Great! We can turn ourselves back to normal!" Pacifica grinned.

"Wait, we'll still need to get the others out first." Mabel said.

"Yeah, you're right." Pacifica sighed. "But we'll need to be smart about this and you'll need to turn your hand back to normal – a giant fist isn't exactly conspicuous."

"You mean," Mabel enlarged her other fist, "Lady Mabel Fisticuffs!"

"Shh! Mabel, be quiet – we don't wanna get caught." Pacifica turned to the palace entrance. "How do we get in though?" She stroked her chin and her necklace gleamed in her peripheral. "Oh, we can use the necklace!"

"You mean the thing that made you phase through the bathroom wall and everyone saw you butt naked?" Mabel chuckled.

"Don't remind me." Pacifica held the jewel of the necklace and moved up to a crystal. "Let's hope this works." She placed her hand on it and went right through. "Perfect."

* * *

"OH GOD!" A female pixie knight gasped as she walked down the castle halls with Detective Commander.

"Yes, in a bath full of razor blades and bleach." Detective Commander said then smiled as he came up to the weapon's vault. "Ah, here we are new rookie! And remember, be careful," He spun around, "We'd better keep our eyes open; a pack of stinking gypsies can't be too far away." He sniffled and swung the vault open. "Come along!"

The Detective Commander and his rookie dove in and soon after, Pacifica and Mabel phased into the hall. Looking around quickly, the two girls ran up to a wall and placed their ears against it, eavesdropping into the next room. "That sounds like them!" Mabel said.

"Shh!" Pacifica listened closer then grabbed her hand, "Let's go!"

Phasing through the wall, Pacifica and Mabel ended up in another hall just opposite the cell the campers were held in. "Mabel?" Dipper shot up to his feet.

"Dipper!" Mabel cried and ran into his arms, only to be shocked by the electric bars and knocked her on her ass. "The heck?"

"Hmm, your connection must've been electrifying." Morris said with a mischievous grin.

"They're twins, Morris." Tom deadpanned.

"Hey, everything is correct, right?" Morris grinned making Tom facepalm himself.

"What happened?" Pacifica asked as she helped Mabel up.

"There's some kinda charge in the bars – we can't get out." Wendy said as she pulled Dipper up.

"What if …" Pacifica held the necklace with one hand then moved up to the bar. She felt a tinge then backed up. "Yeah, not gonna work."

"So, what now? The guards are gonna be here any second." Mabel said.

"Well, they said they're gonna bring us to their queen, so that's the only time we'll be let out." Dipper straightened his clothes.

"But what if they're gonna kill you?" Pacifica asked, inciting a wave of frightened mumbling.

Dipper looked around the cell then grinned. "I have a plan."

* * *

THE SOUNDS of excited cheers filled the air as the campers were met with a bright light, welcoming them into a massive coliseum. Dipper looked around and was immediately terrified as blood stained the walls and bones littered the field which was filled with thousands of pixies. Up ahead of them was the Queen Pixie who sat on a throne surrounded by male servants and slaves. Clad in a dark armoured dress, the exotic, slender beauty with creamy porcelain skin, sat with long legs crossed and held a sword on her lap which she rubbed sensually.

"The feeling of rust against my slender fingers is almost …" she lifted the blade up to her mouth, "orgasmic," she said, licking the metal up to the tip. Turning her cold gaze to the campers, she stood up and raised her arms, silencing the excited audience. "Welcome, intruders! I am Queen Tinkerpunzel and welcome to Happydale!"

An awkward silence fell. "… Happydale?" Dipper raised his brow.

"Yes." She grinned. "Here, you will battle each other to the death and bathe this grounds in our enemy's delicious **blood**! The winner will prove himself worthy to join my collection." She stroked the chin of a slave to her left, grazing her nails against his skin and enjoying the feeling of his skin tearing against them.

The campers chattered amongst each other in terror and Dipper looked around, seeing the fear in Wendy's eyes. He clenched his fist and fought his own fear. "How's about an alternative?"

"What did you say?" The Queen asked with anger shimmering in her eyes.

"What about an alternative offer?" Dipper stepped forward. "Amongst us are powerful warriors – some who'd certainly defeat your soldiers; it'd be a shame if they killed each other off."

"Shut your mouth, gypsy!" Detective Commander yelled.

"Hmm …" The Queen tapped her chin and sat down. "What do you propose then?"

"A contest!" Dipper grinned. "Let us compete against your most powerful warriors in a competition of strength, intelligence and resourcefulness. If we win, we're set free."

"And if we win?" The Queen asked.

Dipper glanced at the campers then frowned slightly. "Then we die."

An uproar sparked immediately amongst the campers. Wendy looked all around her in worry then whispered to Dipper. "Dipper, what're you doing?"

"So, do we have a deal or not?" Dipper said, calling out the Queen.

Licking her lips in excitement, the Queen leaned forward. "Fine, we have a deal." She chuckled. "Give them their weapons!"

"But, Your Pixieship!" Detective Commander said in horror.

"Do you question me, Commander?" The Queen snarled.

"N-no, your Pixieship." Detective Commander bowed quickly then gestured to the guards who quickly ran off.

"Now, intruders, choose who shall participate in the contest." The Queen said with a smirk.

Dipper nodded and turned to the other campers who exploded in fury. "Have you lost your marbles, Dipper Pines!" Gideon growled.

"How could you do that? You're putting our lives on the line!" Tom frowned.

"Well, it's not like you'd have a problem, right?" Mary smiled smugly.

"Yeah." Tom said uneasily, gaining a quizzical look from her.

"Dipper, this is insane! There's no way we can beat these guys." Wendy said.

"Trust me; I know what I'm doing. If we just beat these guys, we're home free." Dipper said.

"You're saying that as if it's easy."

"Trust me; I've got a plan." Dipper smirked.

Wendy looked into his eyes and saw his determination. With a sigh, she nodded and took his hand. She trusted him. "Fine, it's your call, chief."

"Let's do this."

* * *

THE CROWD was buzzing with excitement as Tom stood alongside a pixie soldier before two large slopes. Tom stepped up to the challenge on his own to keep Mary's questions at bay, but he quickly regretted his decision as he couldn't even summon a small ember in his hand. He looked up at his slope and at the gate at the top and gulped, stamping his feet into the ground.

"In the challenge of strength, each competitor will try to stop a boulder which will slide out of these gates." A female pixie announcer hovered near the gates. "Catch the boulder, push it up the slope and block the gate before more are slid down. You have thirty seconds."

"Go, Tom!" Mary cheered amongst the campers behind him. He clenched his fists.

Wendy's brows stitched and she leaned to Dipper who she stood beside. "You think he can do this?"

"He's got powers, so let's cross our fingers." Dipper said.

"Ready, set …" The announcer looked around. "Go!"

With a thunderous boom, two massive boulders shot out of the gates. "Oh, shit." Dipper said with eyes wide in horror.

"Tom, get out of there!" Wendy said.

Tom frowned and stood his ground as the boulders hurled toward him and his opponent. He thrust his arms forward and was immediately bashed by the massive rock, quickly being pushed back towards the walls behind him. He screamed as he felt his bones crack and his blood vessels burst, causing blood to trickle down his lip.

"Tom!" Mary cried.

"We've gotta help him!" Wendy yelled and ran toward him.

"No!" Tom yelled, causing the campers to hold back.

Slamming his foot forward, the boy stopped the boulder in its tracks – getting immediately shrouded in a cloud of dust. He spat out blood and panted heavily, hearing the pixies cheer their soldier who he could tell was halfway up the slope. Mustering all the strength he could, he began to move his feet forward at an agonizingly slow pace. He opened his eyes and saw Mary dash toward him.

"Mary, stop!" He shouted, causing her to stop. "I can handle this."

She shuddered and nodded worriedly, letting him move on and push the boulder along. He grit his teeth as he heard the pixies cheer in excitement and felt rage well up in him. Four boulders sped out the gates and crashed into Tom, pushing him further back and drawing more blood as he spat out profusely.

A dust cloud spread from the collision and the campers were gripped in horror and anticipation. Silence spread amongst them as they feared the worst when suddenly, the ground rumbled. With a thunderous shout, Tom released a red aura that exploded out of him, sending out a wave that rocked the arena and drew the pixies attention. The Queen immediately sat up and watched the boy hold the rock back with one hand.

Clenching his left fist, Tom punched the boulder and sent it flying back, causing the other rocks to fly about and rocketing it right into the gate mere seconds before his opponent pushed his in. The audience was stunned at what they'd just witnessed and the campers watched the boy stand before them in a cloud of red fire. Mary ran to him and lunged onto him in childlike excitement, knocking him off his feet and hugging him tightly.

Wendy glanced at Dipper who was just as stunned as she was and jerked back. "Huh, guess you were right."

* * *

"THE INTRUDERS are in the lead with one to zero! Next up, the Contest of Intelligence!" The announcer said in a booming voice as she hovered near a podium where Detective Commander stood. "Choose your contestants!"

Dipper stepped forward. "I'll be compe –,"

"No, I'll do it!" Lily pushed him aside.

"Lily, what're you doing?" Wendy moved up to her.

"I will win for the honour of Princess Leia!" Lily said with teary eyes.

"Lily, I'm the one who's up next." Dipper frowned.

"No!" Lily backhanded him and kicked Wendy in the crotch. "Catbug, away!"

Lily ran up to the podium and smashed the buzzer quickly. "Intruder, I haven't asked the question yet." The announcer said, frowning slightly. "You'll have twenty questions, each handpicked from ancient scrolls across nine star systems. Each question carries two points – whoever has more wins. Question 1 –,"

"A!" Lily shouted.

"I haven't asked the question yet." The announcer growled.

"But, I'm right, aren't I?" Lily smirked.

The announcer skimmed through the scroll then frowned. "Lucky guess."

"Told ya." Lily rubbed her nails against her shirt smugly and the campers cheered excitedly.

"Alright, settle down." The announcer cleared her throat. "Where is the –,"

"Vanaheim!" Lily shouted.

"Will you let me finish!?"

"But the answer is in the eye of hot beans!" Lily sang while swinging her arms and playing air guitar.

The announcer looked through the scroll and groaned in anger, causing the campers to applaud even more. "Man, this is too easy." Dipper said.

"Goddammit!" Detective Commander exclaimed. "This just isn't making any sense! Maybe I should've spent more time studying in Detective School instead of working on my luge!" He clenched his fist. "My precious Luge!"

The Queen growled. "Enough!" She stood up, gaining the attention of the entire arena. "There is some sort of trickery at work here!"

"Hey, we won the last challenges fair and square!" Dipper frowned.

"Really? That boy used inhuman powers and the girl there knows more about our culture than we do!" The Queen frowned.

Dipper frowned, and then raised his brow as the pixies showed confusion at her mentioning of the word inhuman. This gave him an idea.

"Yes, and I know your secret!" Lily yelled. "That you are a female!"

"No!" The Detective wailed like a woman then raised his brow. "Wait, what?"

"Apprehend them, guards!" The Queen commanded.

"Hey, what is this for?" Dipper frowned as guards massed around them.

"I should have never trusted outsiders to play by our rules!" The Queen said. "I shall have your heads!" She turned to her guards. "Bring the other captives!"

"No!" Dipper gasped as he saw the guards drag in Pacifica and Mabel who were chained.

"Yes, we found them snooping around the castle halls. You had outside help, didn't you?" The Queen said.

"We had a deal!" Wendy frowned.

"And it's been broken!" The Queen raised her hand, ready to give the sign when Dipper yelled.

"People of Happydale, listen to me!" Dipper said in a loud voice.

"What are you doing?" The Queen asked.

"People of Happydale, your Queen has oppressed you and kept the truth to herself." Dipper said.

"What is this?" The Queen flew off the balcony.

"She's been lying to you; the world you know isn't all that's out there!" Dipper said. "I come from a land of giants and your castle is what shrunk us! You all could be giants – you could live beyond these walls!"

"Lies!" The Queen yelled.

"Don't you want to be free? Don't you want to be bigger than you are? Women, don't you want your men to be bigger!?" Dipper yelled.

"Seriously, dude?" Wendy deadpanned.

"Th-that came out wrong." Dipper blushed.

"That's what she said! Heyohh!" Wendy bellowed with a grin.

"Seize him!" The Queen ordered. "I want his head on a spike!"

Chaos erupted in the arena a group of guards massed around them. Dipper looking around in a panic yelled: " Mabel, Pacifica, now!"

"Finally!" Mabel yelled with a grin. "Lady Mabel Fisticuffs Attack!" She slammed her massive fists down, knocking the guards around them off their feet and she raised her hands, pulling the crystals from Pacifica's pocket with her telekinetic bracelet. "Lady Mabel Fisticuffs Throw!" She tossed the crystals toward Dipper.

Dipper ran towards the crystals, but couldn't reach them in time when suddenly, Lily sprang into the air. "Light Beam Magical Pixie Chicken Assault!" She drew out floodlights from her pockets, illuminating the crystals and spreading their purple and blue rays about.

The light beams lit up the entire arena like strobe lights turning all who were inside big and small. The campers returned to their sizes, destroying the castle and forcing them outside and on their asses. Looking around, Dipper quickly got to his feet and looked inside the castle, seeing that the pixies were only enlarged by two inches.

"You lied to us!" Detective Commander yelled.

"Meh, it was an educated guess!" Dipper shrugged.

"Attack those filthy gypsies!" Detective Commander flew up to Dipper.

Dipper smacked him down and turned to the others. "Run!" He and the campers sped off.

"Right in the loose knuckle, you gypsy!"

* * *

DIPPER SHIELDED his eyes from the bright setting sun as he and the other campers manoeuvred through the woods. Looking at the crystals he held in his palms, he pocketed them and added the pixies to his Grimoire. As he walked on, he bumped into Wendy as she made her way to the front of the crowd.

"Oh, Wendy, didn't see you there." He said, offering a smile.

"Hey, man, why you spacing out?" She asked.

"Oh, it's nothing." He said, laughing uneasily.

"Well, don't get too wrapped up in your book, smartass." She grinned and ruffled his hair.

Dipper chuckled and as she moved on, his laugh died down and he pocketed his Grimoire. He walked on an saw Pacifica up ahead. "Hey, Pacifica."

"Huh?" Pacifica turned to him. "Oh, hey, Dipper."

"I wanted to thank you for earlier – you really came through."

"Oh yeah, I am amazing, aren't I?" She grinned and they laughed. "Seriously though, I can't take the credit; Mabel did most of the work."

"Don't sell yourself, you did more than you think." Dipper smiled. "We wouldn't have gotten out without you."

"Well, I'm happy to help." Pacifica smiled warmly and she looked him in the eye, her cheeks reddening when Lily ran past them.

"Ahh, I'm not ready!" She screamed as she ran away from squirrels. She toppled over and backed away from them. "I know you want this body, but you can't have it – you can't have it!" She got to her feet and ran right into a tree.

Dipper and Pacifica deadpanned as the watched the girl then exchanged confused looks. "There's something seriously wrong with that girl."

"Yo, Dipper!" Wendy called from nearby as she stood beside Mabel and Alfonse. "We've gotta head back soon!"

"We'll be right there!" Dipper said then turned to Pacifica. "Let's go home."

"Sure." Pacifica said.

"Joining their friends at the end of the forest, our brave heroes – our Bravest Warriors! – looked to the future with great vigour!" Lily narrated as Pacifica and Dipper walked on. "And the adventure continues."

* * *

5 HOURS LATER.

Dipper, Pacifica, Mabel, Wendy, Alfonse, Tom, Mary and the campers mopped up the Mess Hall as Mr Poolcheck headed out. "If you keep up with these shenanigans, you'll be out of my camp faster than you can say 'testicle pickles'!" He yelled then began to mumble to himself. "Stupid kids, ignoring the rules and coming past curfew." He slammed the door loudly.

"I … I hate this camp." Tom said and the others mumbled in agreement.

"What're testicle pickles anyway?" Mabel asked, sparking laughter amongst the others when Mr Poolcheck burst back in.

"What did I say!?" He yelled and they quickly went back to work.

* * *

THE DETECTIVE Commander led a brave troop of enlarged pixies out of the woods and up to a slope. "Keep strong, men! We will soon find those filthy gypsies and get our revenge!" He climbed the slope and found that they were at the gates of the camp. "Our mission begins now! Let us rain some **doom** down on the **filthy** heads of our **doomed** enemies!" The other pixies cheered when a dark shadow cast over them and were frozen in horror. "What is it?" The pixie soldiers ran off. "Come back here, you cowards!"

He frowned and turned around to see a leviathan beast standing before him, eyeing him with its massive dark, soulless eyes. He screamed in horror and ran off, leaving the giant creature confused. "Oink?"

"Waddles!" Mabel called as she walked up to the pig. "Oh, there you are!" She picked him up. "What're you doing here? You know you shouldn't be roaming around camp. This is such a weird story plothole cuz I didn't bring you here." Waddles oinked in response.

* * *

 **I miss Bee and Puppycat and Bravest Warriors. "Meh, you can't watch it because you're not in America!" Jerks.  
**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you want another chapter soon, be sure to leave a comment nad follow so you don't miss it. Thanks!**


	5. The Night

"WITH NOWHERE to go, the two girls ran into the abandoned house, trying to evade the creepy old man who was drawing closer to them." Morris of Team Narwhal Blast said as he told a story at a campfire. "They barricaded themselves in a room, hoping they wouldn't be found, but his voice echoed through the halls, "girls, where are you … I just want your **panties**!"

The campers jerked back in horror and Pacifica rolled her eyes as the others were gripped by the story. "This is just so dumb."

"Seriously." Dipper groaned.

"Shh!" Jerry said loudly and turned to Morris quickly. "So, what happened next?"

"The two girls ran into the kitchen, trying to hide from the old man. His footsteps drew closer and closer." Morris tapped his wooden stump for effect. "They were cornered – they knew they were done for when suddenly, one of the sisters found a gas pipe. Pulling it open, they ran out of the kitchen and lit a match, setting the house ablaze!"

"What happened!? What happened!?" Jerry said excitedly.

"The two girls watched the house rise up in flames and watched it burn to the ground to be sure that he was dead, but for years since then, his ghost could be heard laughing in the halls of the ruins." Morris said. "And every year since, girls' underwear would go missing on that very night."

The campers gasped in horror and Wendy deadpanned. "That's it?"

"Yes, and what's worse is that that happened on this very camp and that night … was tonight," Morris grinned and the campers gasped.

"Oh, get real!" Dipper groaned.

"Sleep well, children." He laughed maniacally.

"Don't worry, girls." Nate Peccable, a tall, blonde and handsome guy from Team Elf said, putting his arms over several girls who cowered around him. "I will protect you."

"Move aside, girls, he's mine!" Grenda shouted, pushing the girls aside and grabbing Nate by his collar and forcefully kissed him, holding him a vice that he couldn't escape. She tossed him aside and moved up to Candy. "Yes! I just kissed a hot dude!" The two girls high-fived and skipped away.

Nate cowered on the ground, holding his shoulders in terror. "She's so strong … so much muscle" He shivered and the girls crowded around him.

The campers muttered amongst themselves fearfully and Wendy groaned, getting up and addressing them. "Well, lights out campers, I'm going to bed. Don't get nightmares, or whatever." She walked off.

The campers began to disperse and Dipper, bored out of his mind, got up and headed back to his dorm with Pacifica who was behind him. He reached his room and opened the door and bumped into Pacifica. "Oh, sorry, didn't see you there."

"No, no, it's okay." She laughed uneasily.

"No, it's my bad …" He rubbed his head and sighed.

An awkward silence fell and Pacifica glanced around. "Well, I'm going to bed." She smiled.

"Yeah, see ya." Dipper chuckled slightly and she walked off, leaving him with small smile on his face. He entered his room and saw Tom already inside. "Whoa, Tom, you're already here?"

"Pacifica? Really, man?"

"Pfft, as if." Dipper sat back. "You really dodged a bullet by skipping the campfire. Morris told another one of his 'scary stories'."

"Remember the one with the Serial Apeist?" Tom raised his brow.

"That stuff was dumb as hell." Dipper said.

"And were people were actually scared? Man, why do those guys always fall for that shit." Tom sat back.

"Yeah, there may be crazy stuff in this town, but his stories are just ridiculous." Dipper sat on his bed. "Serial Apeist? Ha!"

* * *

MORRIS SLEPT well that night, somewhat enjoying the horrified whimpering of Nate as he lay on the opposite bed. At midnight, however, he felt a chill as wind blew through the window of the dorm room. He woke, stepping out of his Yoko Littner body pillow and into his cleavage-shaped slippers, and moved up to the windows. He heard footsteps.

"What the?" He said under his breath, pinning his back against the wall. He looked at the moonlight on the floor, seeing shadows move along them. He looked outside and his jaw dropped in horror as he saw a line of panties floating across the campgrounds. "I must be dreaming." He shrugged and went back to bed. "Better stop watching ecchi before bed."

* * *

SOUNDS OF angry shouting loudened as Morris awoke, his eyes slowly opening as he saw several figures standing around him. "What's going on?" He asked groggily and he jerked back as he realized the girls of the camp, excluding Mabel, Mary, Grenda and Candy, had surrounded his bed. "Did I die and go to Heaven?"

"What was that, smart guy?" Pacifica growled and grabbed him by the collar.

"Whoa, whoa, usually people attack me after I've done something." Morris jerked back.

"You did do something!"

"What did I do?" The girls lifted him into the air, dragging him outside and tossing him in the middle of the campgrounds. "Ow, hey!" He yelled as he rubbed his ass in pain. "You could hurt someone by doing that?" He frowned then looked around in confusion. "What the?"

Several panties littered the camp grounds, some hanging off the dorms like streamers and others spread across the guardrails. Morris was dumbfounded as he took it all in, seeing the campers witnessing the display, and turning around to see the mob of angry girls behind him. He gulped and started stepping back.

"You have to believe me, I didn't do this!"

"Really? Then who did this?" Kris, the leader of Team Gurren, asked angrily.

"The aliens did it!" Jerry yelled and ran around. "It's the apocalypse!"

"I swear, it's not me!"

"You're the only pervert around here, so who can you blame?" Pacifica asked.

Morris sifted his mind then he remembered. "I know this is gonna sound crazy, but I think the pervy ghost did it!"

The girls deadpanned and exchanged disapproving looks. "Seriously, man?" Wendy asked.

"Seriously! In the middle of the night, yesterday, I saw panties floating past my window!" Morris said.

"Dude, you know, you're close to getting your ass whipped." Clarisse of Team Narwhal Blast – a short black girl with shoulder-length hair wearing a blue shirt and black jeans – said angrily.

"I swear, it's true, you have to believe me!" Morris stepped back then stroked his chin. "Although, this is something I would do, though a bit better – I mean, look at the craftsmanship!" He chuckled then turned to the girls again. "Oh-oh."

* * *

THE MOB of girls carried Morris up high through the woods, moving further and further away from camp. "Girls, seriously, I didn't do it! Whoa!" The girls tossed him into a lake and he swam up, spitting out water. "Come on, these are my favourite pajamas! It's got Erza in Seduction Armour and everything!"

"Asshole!" Pacifica yelled and stormed off with the others.

* * *

USING A stick, Dipper picked a pair of underwear off the guardrail of his dorm. "Thank God Mabel's not here." He shuddered and raised his brow as he saw the design. "My Little Pony?" Pacifica quickly grabbed the garment and shoved it in a bag, her reddened face nearly exploding with embarrassment as she ran straight into the dorm, leaving Dipper with a blush of his own.

Tom walked up to him with a cup of cocoa. "Got up to Third Base, and in only one night! You work fast, Pines – nice!" He raised his hand for a high five.

"Dude!" Dipper frowned then heard footsteps behind him, turning to see Morris walk up to him with drenched clothes. "You've really outdone yourself this time, Morris – seriously, **all** the girls' underwear!"

"I didn't do it! Why won't anyone believe me!?" Morris frowned.

"Serial Apeist, dude – that sealed it." Tom sipped his cocoa and walked off. "You're lucky Mary wasn't involved in this, or I'd kill you." Morris raised his brow then Tom quickly came back. "And don't tell her I said that or I'll kill you." Tom frowned and sipped his cocoa again, walking off.

"Okay …" Morris stepped back and turned to Dipper. "Dipper, you have to help me!"

"Help you with what? Pulling off your next prank? You're sick, dude." Dipper frowned.

"No, it's –," Morris breathed out and calmed himself. "I saw a ghost yesterday – it must be responsible for this."

"A ghost, seriously?"

"Aren't you a supernatural investigator? Or are all your stories a load of bull." Morris asked, baiting him.

Dipper stroked his chin and looked around. "Well, you couldn't have done this all on your own without anyone waking up in the night." He sifted his mind. "Okay, I'll take you up on it, but only if we can find evidence."

"Okay, we'll hold a stakeout tonight – if we find proof, you help me take it down." Morris held his hand out. "We got a deal."

"Sure, we got a deal." Dipper nodded then looked at Morris' hand. "I don't think I'm gonna shake that.

"Come on, man it's just water!"

"Yeah, I won't take that chance." Dipper walked off and Morris growled.

Meanwhile, Lily ran about Wendy's dorm, skipping and twirling excitedly. "I'm free!"

"Lily, get your underwear off my dorm!" Wendy yelled.

"Never! I've never felt so free!" Lily laughed.

"Lily!"

* * *

DIPPER AND Morris sat on the roof of Team Narwhal Blast's dorm, looking around with binoculars hours after lights out. Dipper sipped his cocoa and zoomed in on his dorm, his mind buzzing with worry. "I sure hope Pacifica's alright; man, I feel terrible."

"Hey, can you focus here! My honour's on the line!" Morris yelled.

"As if you had any to begin with." Dipper frowned.

"You know, that hurts." Morris said with whimper. "Right here." He pointed at his chest.

"You know, I should really punch you for the stunt you pulled today."

"Why? It's not like you have a girlfriend here or anything." Morris said. "Besides, I told you I didn't do it."

"Well, it's not that …" Dipper laughed uneasily and drank his cocoa quickly. "Let's just get back to work."

"Yeah, exactly." Morris nodded and looked into his binoculars. "So … you happy you finally got to see Pacifica's panties?" Dipper spat his cocoa.

* * *

THE NEXT DAY, Dipper and Morris climbed down from the roof of Team Narwhal Blast's dorm and went into the campgrounds, yawning tiredly when they were met with shock as the camper were up and about, muttering in shock. "What's going on here?" Dipper raised his brow.

The girls chattered angrily as their pyjamas were soaked in lotion and they wobbled about, nearly slipping off their feet. Pacifica growled. "Who did this!?" She rubbed her fingers against each other, the liquid leaving an oily trail between them. "Ugh, I feel so sticky!"

Morris bit his tongue, holding back laughter as the girls yelled angrily and flopped about. Wendy burst out of her dorm, her clothes drenched on lotion as well. "Where is he!?" She frowned and saw Morris. "I'm gonna kill you!" She grabbed her axe and immediately dropped it. "Dammit!" She held it, but her hands quickly slipped off the wood as she tried to hold it. "I can't grip it right!"

"Heh, that's what she said." Morris nudged Dipper.

"Seriously, dude?" Dipper frowned.

"Sorry, I took the opportunity." Morris shrugged.

"There he is!" Pacifica yelled and the girls massed around him.

"Whoa, whoa, I'm innocent!" Morris backed up.

"You're not getting away with it this time!" Kris frowned when a loud bang grabbed their attention.

The campers turned and saw Mr Poolcheck standing in the doorway of his room, ankle deep in water that rushed out of it. "Who is responsible for this!?" He growled and the campmates pointed at Morris.

"What? I didn't do it!" Morris said as Mr Poolcheck moved up to him angrily.

"You maggot, this is the last straw! You can pull pranks on your campmates, but my office is off limits!" The man seethed. "You're outta here!"

"Wait!" Dipper moved up to him, drawing the attention of the others. "He didn't do it?"

"Dipper?" Pacifica said in shock.

"So, he was in on it too." Sherry crossed his arms. "Huh, figures it'd be someone from Team Pacifica."

"N-no, he wouldn't do it." Pacifica turned to her.

"Dipper, why're you standing up for this guy?" Wendy asked.

"Because, I was with him last night." Dipper said, gaining confused mumbling from the campers. "Not like that! What's wrong with you guys?"

"What do you mean you were with him?" Mr Poolcheck said.

"We held a stakeout last night to find the ghost that took the girls' underwear last night – he couldn't have pulled the prank today because I was with him." Dipper explained.

Mr Poolcheck groaned and shook his head. "Okay, suppose I believe you – do you have any evidence?"

"Well … no, but you don't have any evidence that he pulled the prank either! You can't blame him." Dipper said.

Mr Poolcheck looked around the camp, seeing the girls as they stood around uncomfortably and sifted his mind. "Well, it's not like he's hurt anybody …" He stroked his chin. "Okay, I'll give you until tomorrow to find the culprit. If you fail, both of you are out."

Dipper huffed. "Fine, it's a deal."

"Alright, girls, get yourselves cleaned up – hiking will start at 6am!" Mr Poolcheck yelled and walked away, leaving the campers to return to their dorm.

Pacifica glanced about as the campers moved past her and she walked up to Dipper who seemed lost in thought. "Dipper, what're you doing?"

"I know Morris is a pervert, but I can't let someone get punished for something he didn't do."

"And what makes you so sure? He could be working with someone else."

"Well, I've got a feeling. Trust me, I know what I'm doing." Dipper said and walked off.

"Well, okay, I guess." She took a step and slipped on a puddle of lotion, falling on her face.

* * *

HOLDING WADDLES close to her chest, Mabel looked at the trees around her as she, Grenda, Candy and Mary roamed the forest. She looked at her watch, unable to tell how much time had passed exactly. Seeing the creatures in the woods draw ever so closer, she huffed.

"Yeah, I'm calling it guys, we're lost." Mabel said.

"No, we have to think positive!" Candy said. "We'll just follow the map."

"But there is no map!" Mary yelled. "Face it – there's something weird about these woods; we can't have walked for this long without the sun having set."

"Maybe there's some sorta spell around here." Mabel said, holding on to Waddles tighter. "Don't worry, Waddles; Lady Mabel Fisticuffs will protect you."

"So, that's a thing you call yourself now?" Mary deadpanned.

"Yeah, yeah, basically." Mabel shrugged.

"Spell? There's no spell that can hold me down!" Grenda yelled. "I'll punch it in the face!" She punched a nearby tree, causing a leprechaun to fall out.

"Ah, me back!" The leprechaun groaned. "And me Strawberry Sniggles!" He jumped up and picked up his bowl of cereal quickly. "Ye won't take it outta me stomach, ye monsters!" He ran off.

Mabel watched the little man run and shook her head. "Why's my life so weird?"

"Preachin' to the choir, sister." Mabel said with a huff.

"Man, and we didn't even get to test out the necklace." Mabel held up the jewel of the necklace. "Why can't I figure this thing out?"

"Neigh!" A high pitched, annoying voice echoed through the leaves.

"What was that?" Candy looked around.

"That sounds familiar." Mabel listened closely.

"I've found you …" The voice said again.

"Celestabellebethabelle!" Mabel frowned.

"I'm back for Reveeeeennngggee!" Celestabellebethabelle neighed as she emerged from the forest. She had an eye patch and wore black armour. "You ruined my beauty, Mabel, and now you're going to paaaaaaaay!"

"You're not gonna get away with this, unicorn; I beat you before and I'll do it again." Mabel frowned.

"Yeah!" Grenda yelled. "And I'll rip out your other eye!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait!" Mary said quickly. "You have a standing rivalry and beef with a **unicorn**?"

"Yeah, like I said, my life is weird." Mabel shrugged.

"Yeah, way weirder than mine." Mary deadpanned.

"Seeeeeiiiize theeeem!" Celestabellebethabelle cried and a horde of gremlins popped out of the bushes, carrying a massive net along with them.

Surrounding the girls, the tiny creatures cast the mesh over them and pinned them doing, trapping them. "Let me go!" Mabel yelled.

"No, not until I've had my revenge." Celestabellebethabelle said and a gremlin smacked Mabel with a club.

* * *

DIPPER RUMMAGED through a chest in his room – his floor covered in all sorts of artefacts and devices. Morris moved through the maze, moving up to him and seeing a small device with a radar metre, a bulb at the top and an antenna. "What's that?" He asked.

"It's an EMF Geiger Counter – I got it from my Grunkle Ford's stuff at the shack." Dipper said, standing up.

"Cool …" Morris nodded. "What's it do?"

"It can pick up the electromagnetic frequency of ghosts."

"English please." Morris said.

"It can track down ghosts, okay!" Dipper frowned.

"Ooh … hmm," Morris thought deeply. "I don't get it."

"Well, you don't have to – if there's a ghost, then we'll be able to find it and capture it so we don't get kicked out." Dipper grinned.

"Yeah, that'd be a disaster – especially for you since you're making such slow progress with Pacifica."

"Okay, I get it."

"Like, so slow, snails are laughing at you bro – like have you hit ANY base?"

"Do you want my help or not?" Dipper frowned.

* * *

A SHARP pain slowly faded as Mabel came to and took in her surroundings – the world around her standing inverted. She blinked and realized that she was hanging upside down. Looking to her left and right, she saw that Grenda, Candy and Mary were tied up with her and down below was a bubbling pot of glittery lava with rainbow smoke.

"It seems you're awaaaakke!" Celestabellebethabelle said loudly as she paced around. "Now, my revenge can begin!"

"C-Beth, you really gotta let this go." Another unicorn said.

"No! She took my eye and I'm take her whole body as revenge." Celestabellebethabelle walked up to Mabel. "Once you're dipped in the lava, you're going to become a statue just like every other statue around here." Mabel gasped and looked around, seeing several creatures standing around, frozen in glittery molten stone. "Now, lower them iiiiiinn!"

The gremlins nodded and begin to crank the pulley, lowering the girls down to the boiling pot. They screamed in horror, unsure of what to do and Mabel tried to think of a plan. "What're we gonna do!?" Candy cried.

Mabel sifted her mind and bit her lip in frustration. "I'm sorry!"

"Wh-what was that?" Celestabellebethabelle asked, making the gremlins stop.

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean you to jack you up that much, but you were in our way." Mabel said.

"Well, that's not much of an apology, now is it?" Mary deadpanned.

"Alright, alright!" Mabel sighed. "Seriously, I'm sorry – I shouldn't have done that to you."

Celestabellebethabelle sniffled. "That is all I wanted." She wiped a tear from her eye. "Releeaase theeem!"

The gremlins scrambled about and brought a ladder up to cauldron, climbing up and untying the rope that held the girls up above. Taking them down, the creatures brought them before Celestabellebethabelle who gave Mabel a warm smile that she returned awkwardly. "Heh, so you're letting us go?" Mabel asked.

"Yeesss! Everything is forgiven!" Celestabellebethabelle said. "Now, if you excuse me, I've got a 3 O'clock posing in front of a rainbow." She walked off.

"Alright, Mabel, let's get outta here." Mary said and Mabel gave a mischievous grin.

"Not yet." Mabel held the jewel of her necklace and raised her hand, lifting Celestabellebethabelle telekinetically.

"Whaatt? What're you doiinngg?" Celestabellebethabelle cried in confusion.

"I'm not sorry!" Mabel yelled and dropped the horse on the ground upside down. "Take that, you superficial, quadropedal … uh … idiot!"

"Real smart." Mary deadpanned.

"Shut up!" Mabel said.

"Get theeem!" Celestabellebethabelle yelled and the gremlins draw out their weapons.

"Uh, guys, we have to move!" Candy sprinted off and the girls followed her quickly.

* * *

"THE COLD night air howled and bit against Wendy's skin as she sat on her rocking chair in the middle of the night." Lily narrated as she played a banjo. "If there was a darn ghostly critter roaming round these here parts, she was gonna **get 'em** , **get 'em** with her broad axe, Stone Crusher."

"Lily." Wendy deadpanned as she sat on her porch with her axe on her lap.

"Yes, ma'am?" Lily asked, spitting into a nearby urn.

"Get outta here." Wendy said.

"Sure will." Lily tipped her hat and rode off into sunset with her mighty stead.

Wendy watched the girl ride off in shock, looking at the dark night sky to her left then at the twilight sky to her right which she rode toward. "How in the world is she doing that?" She looked around and saw floodlights and 4D projectors set up nearby. "There's something seriously wrong with that girl."

"Ya darn tootin'!" Lily said and smacked her ass, firmly gripping it. "That's a mighty fine rear you got on ya." She tipped her hat.

"Will you get outta here!" Wendy growled and Lily ran off, yodelling to her heart's delight.

Wendy frowned then looked to her right, still seeing Lily riding into the sunset while she ran off in the other direction simultaneously. "How is she doing that?"

"You should just try to stop making sense of her." Dipper said as he walked up to her.

"Yeah, I know right? Some people are just crazy." Morris said, shaking his head. "So, Wendy, do you mind wearing a bikini and standing in the middle of a circle for us?"

"What?" Wendy raised her brow.

"Morris!" Dipper smacked him across the head.

"Hey!" Morris recoiled.

"You had that coming." Dipper frowned then turned to Wendy. "What he meant to say was, could you … whoo, there is no right way of saying this."

"Saying what?" Wendy asked.

"Look, I know you think Morris is just a perv; you may not believe me, but there really is a ghost and we really need you help to –,"

"What do you want me to do?"

* * *

WENDY SHIVERED as she rubbed her hands against her shoulders, her mostly bare body battling the cold as she stood in a one-piece swimsuit near the ruins of a former team dorm. Standing on a transmutation circle, she looked around apprehensively when a flash of light drew her attention.

"What was that?" She looked at Dipper and Morris who were behind her.

"Nothing!" Dipper yelled and quickly grabbed Morris' camera, breaking it in half.

"I can't believe I agreed to do this." Wendy said. "How long has it been anyway?"

"About ten minutes." Dipper looked at his wristwatch.

"Okay, I'm outta here." Wendy frowned and quickly reached for her towel.

"Wait, let's just wait a little longer." Dipper said when the lights suddenly went out.

"What the?" Morris looked around and cold swept through the camp.

"Uh, guys …" Wendy looked around and felt a chill up her spine, seeing vapour in her breath. "I think the ghost's here."

"Um, um …" Dipper started to panic then looked at his Geiger counter, seeing the needle wobble in the red zone. "Oh man."

Wind rushed through the camp, making the dorms rattle as energy swirled at the centre of the camp, emitting a bright, blinding light. Dipper moved his arm from his eyes and gasped as he saw a skinny, middle-aged male ghost hovering before him. Clad in overalls, a tattered shirt and bespectacled, the ghoul hovered toward Wendy who backed up towards the circle as it approached her.

"Wendy now!" Dipper yelled. The ghost wailed and flew toward Wendy, ready to grab her and she rolled out of the way, letting it move toward the circle. Dipper slammed his hand on the ground, causing a green light to emit from the circle trapping the spirit.

"It worked!" Morris cried in excitement and moved up to Dipper as he watched the ghost try to escape the circumference of the circle.

"Who are you?" Dipper asked angrily.

"I am Bob Carlson, and I've an unquenchable thirst for panties," The ghost said echoing: "panties, panties, **panties**!"

Dipper's brows stitched, confused. "Um … why?"

"Because, I'm a pervert." The ghoul shrugged. "Wasn't that obvious?"

"You mean your perversion was so strong that you couldn't move on to the afterlife?" Dipper asked.

"You have no idea, boy!" The ghost yelled in a loud voice, transforming into a large, green apparition.

"Okay, okay, geez!" Dipper backed up. "Well, I'm gonna exorcise you now." He opened the journal, turning to a page with the spell. "Expectro Patronu –,"

"No! I will not go down like this!" The ground shuddered as ghostly energy began to break from the ground and walls around them. "There are so many panties to be had!"

The ground began to fissure, sending a large crack right through the transmutation circle, destroying the barrier and sending Dipper, Wendy, and Morris off their feet. Dipper pushed himself up and gasped in horror as a whirlpool of ethereal energy and panties swirled horrifically before him.

"I will show this world what it really means to be a pervert!" The ghost roared, releasing a powerful wave that flung all the doors of the camp dorms open.

A silence when suddenly, the girls of the camp started to float in their air – their eyes white and their mouths agape as they were unconsciously levitated towards him. Nearby, however, Tom was having cocoa at the porch of his dorm when a pair of panties fell into his mug.

"Well, ain't that some shit." Tom shrugged and poured out the cocoa, getting up and heading to the Mess Hall.

Dipper, Wendy and Morris looked up in terror then saw him walk by. "Tom!" Dipper called out and he turned to him. "Help us."

Tom blinked. "Is Mary involved?"

"Uh …" Dipper looked at the girls. "No!"

Tom blinked. "Then, meh." He shrugged and walked off.

"Really, man?" Wendy raised her brow then heard mumbling as the boys on camp came out of their dorms.

"What in tarnation is going on here!?" Gideon, clad in a morning gown and hairnet with a face mask squinted. "Pines, I know this is your fault somehow!"

Dipper frowned and ignored Gideon, looking up at the ghost and sifting his mind. "What am I gonna do?" He looked at his journal, finding a different method of exorcism when he felt the ground rumble.

"Uh, Dipper?" Wendy said in a panic.

"Huh?" Dipper turned then jerked back in horror as she was levitated into the air. "Wendy!"

"Dipper, help!" Wendy yelled in terror as she was pulled towards the ghost as well.

Mus, who stood amongst the boys nearby, saw Wendy float past him and grinned. "I knew that her ass was out of this world."

"True dat." Peter and Mitch fist-bumped with him.

"Hold on, Wendy, I'll figure this out somehow!" Dipper yelled, quickly flipping through his book.

"I won't let you!" The ghost yelled and raised his hand; summoning panties that clamped into a large ball, setting them alight in green flames.

"What the shitting hell is going on here?" Dipper raised his brow.

"Die!" The ghost flung a volley of fireballs at him. "You will not block me!"

"Run!" Morris yelled.

Dipper rolled out of the way as a panty ball crashed and exploded near him and Morris and he quickly scrambled up and saw several plummeting towards them. Morris tackled Dipper away from the onslaught, mere inches from the projectiles and into a room in the ruins. Leaning up the against the wall, they looked out and panted as the ghoul looked for them.

"What're we gonna do?" Morris turned to Dipper.

"I don't know!" Dipper yelled in a panic.

"Well, we've gotta think of something quickly before that bastard finds us." Morris frowned.

"Ah, there you are!" The ghost yelled and the walls broke apart, wind swirling around Dipper and raising him into the air. "I will have your soul!"

"Dipper!" Morris reached out for him, almost touching him, but completely out of reach.

"I can fix this!" Dipper opened the journal, but it fell out of his hands. "No!"

"Now, I can have my revenge, now," The ghost looked up to the sky, summoning a bright light. "I will take over Gravity Falls – no, all the world's panties!" The ghost sniffled. "And I'll finally get laid."

"Seriously? You're a freaking ghost!" Dipper screamed in rage.

Ghostly wind spread out through the camp, rattling all the buildings and knocking the boys off their feet. The ghoul set his sights on Morris, summoning flaming panty balls ready to fire on him. The boy scrambled up quickly, picking up an iron bar and holding it before him. He didn't know what to do – he had nowhere to run.

Suddenly, a heavy bass guitar cord echoed through the air, drawing everyone's attention to a camp rooftop whose edge was right in front of the rising sun. Casting a massive shadow over the camp grounds, Luchador Desperado Lily stood tall, screaming at the top of her lungs while strumming a wild guitar chord that blared in the ears of all who listened.

"Who are you?" The ghost growled.

Lily tipped her hat, looking him straight in the eye, "I am the ghost of the past; I am your ghost!"

"No!" The ghost shrieked in terror. "Wait, what?"

Lily tossed her hat aside and jumped off the roof, shooting straight towards the ghoul, stretching her leg back up to a metre. "Gommu Gommu No Lily Ethereal Testicle Axe!"

Lily kicked the ghost in the nuts, causing it to fall over and scream in agony, releasing the campers and causing the winds to cease. "My boin-loings!" He crashed on the ground.

Lily landed near Morris, her cape flowing in the wind behind her as she looked out into the woods solemnly. Morris stood up, confused. "How'd you do that?"

"He got kicked in the boin-loings, boin-loings, boin-loings …." She answered then turned to him. "You know what to do." She threw a smoke bomb, waited for the smoke to fade then ran off.

"What am I supposed to do?" Morris watched her run off.

"Use the iron bar!" Dipper screamed from nearby. "Stab the ghost and finish it!"

Morris looked at the bar he held then nodded and ran towards the ghost with a warrior's cry. "From Axe Heart I stab at thee!"

Morris leapt into the air and stabbed the ghost, pinning him into the ground. "No, I cannot be defeated!" The ghost screamed. "Curse you, curse you!"

"Uh, now what?" Morris turned to him.

"Get away from him!" Dipper yelled as he picked his journal and opened it, reciting incantations in Ancient Latin.

A light mandala manifested before the journal, creating a vortex that begun to suck the ghost in, ripping its body apart slowly. "No! This can't be the end!"

Dipper yelled in anger, pouring more energy into the spell and causing hands to shoot out of the magic circle and drag him in. The ghoul dug its claws into the earth, fighting the current as the light mandala began to dwindle. Dipper started to weaken, unable to hold the spell up for long when Wendy dashed into the scene with her battle axe, Stone Breaker.

"Take this, you piece of shit!" Swinging the axe, Wendy cleaved the ghost in half, smashing its head and sending protoplasm splattering about.

The hands pulled the ghost in and the mandala closed, allowing Dipper to fall to his knees tiredly. Wendy and Dipper looked around, seeing the campers come to as the sun rose and cock crowed. Wiping sweat off her brow, Wendy grinned and offered Dipper a hand, helping him up.

"Well, last night was weird as shit."

"Yeah, yes it was." Dipper said, closing the book. "Well, at least I can go to bed now."

A loud bang drew the campers attention and they turned to see Mr Poolcheck standing in front of his room. Breathing in the fresh morning air, he held up a cup of coffee and saw the campers before him. "Ah, what a great night – slept without a peep! You guys are out early, just in time for the morning hike!"

The campers groaned in frustration. "Can't we catch a break?" Dipper slumped angrily and Mabel, Mary, Candy and Grenda returned to camp.

"Hey, what'd we miss?" Mabel asked.

* * *

 **Deleted Scene**

A silence when suddenly, the girls of the camp started to float in their air – their eyes white and their mouths agape as they were unconsciously levitated towards the ghost. Tambry was amongst them, thrashing about in terror and Robbie chased after her, pulling up his boxers.

"Wait, I wasn't finished!" He yelled.

"Yeah, and it was good for once!" Tambry shouted.

"Wait-what?" Robbie stopped in his tracks.

"Yeah, you've never been good before." Tambry deadpanned and Robbie walked off disappointedly.


	6. Wreck-It-Soos

**HEY GUYS! We are back! … After three months, but we're back anyway!**

 **Sorry, it's been hard to juggle things IRL as work's piled up and motivating myself to write is hard as hell. But I hope you readers are still there because we are not done with this story yet. Anyway, hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"YOU CAN do it dude!" Soos cheered Tom on as he played Pac-Man in the Arcade in town.

"Just a little further, you're almost there!" Dipper yelled.

"I can't concentrate with all this yelling!" Tom exploded in rage, slamming his fists on the dashboard.

"Game Over!" The machine beeped as the level ended.

"This game's a piece of shit!" Tom kicked the machine, nearly toppling it and stormed off.

"You just suck at videogames." Dipper said.

"Shut up!" Tom shouted.

"Man, that guy's got some anger issues." Soos told Dipper whilst giving way to Tom.

"Yeah, and I thought a day at the arcade would give him a breather from what's been going on at camp." Dipper said.

Soos walked over to another game console and put a coin in the slot. "Well, at least the others are having fun."

"I'm gonna Wreck-It!" The game started.

"Yeah, but maybe you can call it a little **too** much fun." Dipper said and turned to the others.

"Die, die, die!" Mabel cackled maniacally nearby as she rampaged on Hero's Duty. "Today, I bathe in Cy-Bug Blood!" People began to turn as Mabel laughed and she raised her gun up excitedly as she won the game. "Victory! But I need more! I thirst for violence!"

Mabel began whacking the console, getting shocked murmuring from the forming crowd and Mary quickly ran up to her, pulling her aside. "Heh, heh, nothing to see here."

"But I need more destruction!" Mabel clung to the machine.

"Yeah, we're gonna have to cut you off." Mary said. "Tom, a lil help?" She called out and the boy came to her side with a groan.

Dipper's eyes widened as he watched Mabel thrash about in Tom's arms and he turned to Soos. "Maybe she should lay off the sugar … forever."

"Game Over!" The level ended.

"Oh, man, maybe that dude with the rad shirt had a point; this stuff is hard." Soos stepped back.

"Ha, maybe it is." Dipper looked at his watch. "Ooh, it's getting late. We should probably head back to camp before Mr Poolcheck punishes us for tardiness."

"Whoo, time does fly by. I'll just call Melanie." Soos looked at his watch and turned, seeing the nearly empty arcade space. "Where is she?"

"I thought she was playing Sugar Rush with Mary." Dipper answered as he looked around. "Hey, Mary!"

"Yeah," Mary walked up to them with Tom and Mabel who was coming down from her high.

"You see Melanie anywhere?"

"I thought she was playing Hero's Duty with Mabel."

"Don't look at me, all I can remember is the heat of war." Mabel said. "Dom will always be remembered."

"Tom, you seen her?" Dipper asked.

"I was with you guys the whole time." Tom shrugged. "Haven't seen her for a while now that I think about it."

"Where could she be?" Soos scanned the room. "There aren't any bathrooms here or anything."

The guys began to look around and Soos stepped outside, turning to his pickup truck. "Melanie?" He went back inside. "She's not at the truck either."

"Where could she be?" Dipper scratched his head when the lights suddenly went out.

Things became quiet and Mary looked around. "What's going on?"

Electricity started to surge in the arcade machines and a stuttering laugh echoed through the room. "Wait a minute, I know that laugh!" Soos frowned.

"Hello, Soos." A female voice came and the Sugar Rush machine turned on with static. "Do you remember me?"

"Giffany!" Dipper clenched his fist.

"Oh, seems everyone's come to the party – that's good. It'd be a shame if you're the only alone." The static started to fizz out and Giffany returned into the frame. She was a wreck: her clothes tattered and her once pink hair turned black with strands of blood red. "Although, you're all that I want, Soos."

"How're you still here, I thought we destroyed your disc." Dipper said.

"There's a shift in power in Gravity Falls and I simply followed the current. You can't beat me this time around."

"What've you done with Melanie?" Soos demanded.

"Oh, nothing. She's safe and sound inside the Gumdrop Valley," Giffany giggled, "for now."

"What do you want!? You better not hurt her!" Soos yelled.

"All I want is you, Soos," Giffany reiterated, "Come inside me and we can be together, forever!"

"Not gonna happen!"

"Fine, then I'll make sure your little girlfriend dies very, very slowly." Giffany frowned and began to fade away.

"Wait, no, Giffany!" Soos reached out to the screen, but it shut off.

"She disappeared." Dipper rushed to the machine, stunned. The lights came back on, along with the arcade machines and the others stirred.

"So, how do we get her back?" Tom asked.

"Y'know, the fact that you guys don't get freaked out by anything that happens around here freaks **me** out." Dipper said.

"Well, we've been through plenty of stuff on our own." Tom said.

"We've gotta get her back, Dipper!" Soos began to panic. "Who knows what Giffany's doing to her in there!?"

"There's a way to get inside." Dipper said and walked off to an arcade machine in the corner.

Mabel squinted as she and the others followed him. "That old Fight Fighters game?"

"Yeah, there's a code on the side of the game that let me bring Rumble McSkirmish into the real world." He squatted at the bottom corner of the machine and brought out his phone. "If we put it on Sugar Rush, we could get Melanie out." He took a picture of the code.

"Okay, let's try it." Soos said.

Back at the machine, Dipper pulled out his phone and looked at the photo, following it closely. "Here we go –,"

"Wait, aren't the controls different for each game?" Mabel pointed out.

"Hmm," He looked at his phone then at the arcade machine, "Well, I'll just switch out 'punch' for 'X' here." He studied the photo. "Let's see … back, back, hold forward, back, forward, down, hold, quarter circle, forward, triple X!"

The guys looked at the screen in anticipation, watching as the character roster flickered. "Pick a character!"

"Ugh, it didn't work." Dipper looked at his phone. "I guess its machine specific."

"Maybe try doing it backwards." Tom said.

"Well, worth a shot." Dipper moved up to the buttons. "Triple X, forward, quarter circle, hold, down, forward, back, hold forward, back, back!" The machine went off and he jerked back. "Whoa … I guess it worked."

The machine began to stutter and went on with a blinding light. "What's happening?" Mary shielded her eyes.

"This is how it happened last time I put the code!" Dipper said. "Now, all we need to do ask for Melanie to come out and –,"

The light suddenly went off and Mary blinked. "Dipper?" She stood up. "Guys?"

The boys disappeared and Mary and Mabel looked around in shock. "Dipper, Tom, Soos?"

"Where'd they go?" Mary turned to her.

* * *

BLINDING LIGHT faded away as Dipper regained consciousness and took in his surroundings. Seeing Tom and Soos at either side of him, he stood and looked around, hearing music faintly in the background. Standing up as well, Tom squinted then frowned in confusion as he dusted himself off.

"What the hell?"

Music played faintly in the background and colors of pink, white, brown and green filled their vision as they saw a massive candy wonderland filled with chocolate mountains and candy cane trees spread out around them. Coming up to a rise, Dipper looked up ahead and saw a chocolate pond with the words 'SUGAR RUSH' floating atop them.

"Sugar Rush?" He squinted.

"Let the Race begin!" A female voice echoed from a white chocolate castle in the distance.

"Wait a second, don't tell me …"

"We're in a videogame?" Tom frowned. "What the heck!?"

"This is so cool!" Soos grinned.

"No, Soos, this is bad." Dipper said.

"Yeah, how do we get outta here anyway?" Tom looked around. "Are the others here even?"

"This is where Giffany appeared, so maybe Melanie's here too." Dipper stroked his chin.

"In that case, let's not spend any time loafing around; we've gotta find her quick!" Soos said, heading towards the white castle.

"Wait, hold up –,"

Light flashed nearby, drawing the trio's attention as a small raven-haired girl with black hair, a green hood, black dress, candy cane leggings and black shoes appeared nearby. With a smug grin, she turned to them. "Hey, what're you doing here? No trespassers allowed!"

"Whoa, sorry, we didn't mean to intrude." Dipper said quickly.

"Wait, aren't you the chick from the game?" Tom asked.

"The game? Huh, guess you're an outsider, huh?"

"Who are you?" Dipper asked.

"I'm Vanellope Von Schweets, the President of Sugar Rush!" Vanellope laughed. "But there's no need to be formal. Really, do whatever you want!"

"In that case, outta the way, shorty, we've gotta find a way outta this bitch." Tom walked past her.

"Well, someone's rude." Vanellope frowned slightly.

"Sorry about him, but we are in kind of a rush." Dipper said as he followed Tom.

"Excuse me." Soos stepped around the small girl and tailed the others.

Watching them walk on, Vanellope grew curious and teleported up beside Soos. "What're you doing anyway?"

"We're looking for someone, it's an emergency." Soos said, trying hard to hide the dismay from his new acquaintance.

"Who is it? I could probably help ya out." Vanellope smirked.

"Hmm, how do we explain this …" Dipper huffed. "We're looking for this character that's entered this game called Giffany. Black hair, schoolgirl outfit, and we've gotta save someone she's kidnapped."

"Kidnapped? The only person I'd know would do that is Turbo." Vanellope said. "Huh, guess he's trying something new this time."

"No, the person we're looking for is a girl from another game." Soos turned to her. "Who're you talking about?"

"Ah, well, I guess I can't help ya then." She teleported in front of them. "If ya need me for anything, I'll be up in that castle over there."

Vanellope pointed at the white chocolate castle behind her and prepared to teleport when the earth suddenly rumbled. The four tensed up as they looked around and the sky began to darken, turning the bright sunny day into a sudden dark night. Strange screams came from all around and the forest began to glitch and fizzle, turning into static and code.

"What the hell's going on?" Tom frowned.

"The game's falling apart!" Vanellope said in terror. The earth rumbled and the candy castle began to collapse. "My castle!"

"This has to be her!" Dipper clenched his fist in anger.

Laughter echoed through the air and a beam of light burst from the sky, crashing on the ground before them and swirling into a cyclone. The energy dissipated and revealed Giffany within, her eyes glowing red with rage. "So you came, good. Now we can be together."

"I'm not going anywhere with you, Giffany! Bring Melanie back!" Soos yelled.

"You can't have her! You are mine!" Giffany screamed.

"We've already been over this, Giffany; you're not real! Soos has moved on and you should too!" Dipper chastised.

"I'm not real?" Giffany chuckled. "Welcome to my reality."

Lightning erupted from Giffany's body and the ground broke apart as she ascended to the air, sending Tom, Dipper, Soos and Vanellope to the ground. She merged with the light and became a giant, electricity spurting and bursting out of her and tearing Sugar Rush apart. With a wild roar, Giffany swung her hand at them, rushing to crush the four.

"Teh, gimme a break." Tom flew up and punched her palm, sending out a wave of energy that created a massive earthquake around them.

"Whoa, dude!" Soos jerked back in shock.

"How're you doing that?!" Dipper's jaw dropped.

"Meh, ain't telling ya." Tom smacked giant Giffany's hand aside and slammed his fists together, sending out a mighty wind that disintegrated her and shattered the valley. Dipper, Soos and Venellope stood dumbfounded, nearly collapsing from shock as they watched Tom hover before them. Nonchalantly dusting his jacket, he looked at the red fire radiating from his palm. "Heh, guess I gotta get used to this."

The earth shook again and cracks began to form in the sky. "We've gotta get outta here! Giffany's too powerful in this world!" Dipper scoped the area.

"But my citizens are in trouble!" Vanellope cried out.

"We can't do anything to save them like this."

"I can." Tom cracked his knuckles. "Just gimme five minutes."

"With your powers, you're gonna destroy this place." Dipper yelled at him. "We've gotta find a way outta here and rethink. Giffany's only mad because Soos is here, maybe she'll stop if we're gone."

"But where can we go? She's in control of this world, isn't she?" Soos asked.

Vanellope's eyes widened as it struck her. "I know where we can go."

* * *

"WELCOME TO Game Central Station!" The voice on the intercom said in a monotone fashion as Tom, Soos, Dipper and Vanellope stepped out of the hub.

Dipper looked around, filled with awe as characters from several games roamed and scurried all around them. "Amazing!"

"We are in a videogame world." Soos said.

"Whatever." Tom shrugged and jerked back as the Surge Protector appeared near him. "What the?"

"Name?" The Officer said, flipping through his book.

"Eat shit!" Tom blasted him with a fireball, causing him to disintegrate. Videogame characters around him gasped and he pocketed his hands. "What?"

Murmurs spread through the station and the Surge Protector respawned. "Name, sir."

Tom groaned. "Why don't you –,"

"I'm Vanellope Von Schweets." Vanellope interrupted him. "These are citizens from my game and I'm going to Fix-It-Felix's."

"Okay, proceed." The Officer shot off into the hub behind them. The four walked on.

"Whoa, what was that for?" Dipper said in a hushed voice.

"Sorry, got a little trigger happy." Tom clenched his fist.

"Well, you should just leave the talking to me, I guess." Vanellope said. "Where're you guys from again?"

"The real world." Dipper said.

"The real … wha?"

"So, where're we goin'?" Soos changed the subject.

"I have a really strong friend over in that other game. I bet he knows how we can beat her."

* * *

"WHOA, WHOA, whoa, whoa, the real what?" Ralph raised his brow as he sat amongst Felix, Q'Bert and the retired characters at the dump at Felix's.

"Oh golly, it's Turbo all over again." Felix scratched his chin.

"Wait, Turbo?" Dipper's brows stitched.

"No time to explain." Vanellope cut him off. "So, any ideas?"

"Hmm, someone like that wouldn't be easy to fight head on." Ralph sifted his mind.

"Yeah, unless I'd fought her." Tom frowned.

"How would you be able to fight someone like that?"

"Gah, look, we don't have time to talk!" Soos exclaimed. "Every second we spend here is putting Melanie in danger!"

Ralph huffed then got an idea. "The only way we can defeat someone like her is to find her code."

"Ooh, that oughta stop her." Felix grinned.

"But she destroyed the castle, there's no way to get to the code now." Vanellope said.

"Well, what now?" Tom shrugged. The earth rumbled. "Well, that's convenient."

Felix gasped as the shaking worsened and the area around them began to glitch, the horizon turning into code and rising into the sky. "The game's disintegrating!"

"She made it here?" Vanellope frowned.

"Huh, guess she really is more powerful than Turbo." Ralph stood from the pile of bricks.

"So, we're just gonna keep running like this?" Soos turned to Ralph.

"No, this is perfect!" Dipper grinned.

"How is this perfect? She's gonna ruin all the games in the arcade." Vanellope frowned.

"Yeah, but now she's following us, which means we can stall her." Dipper explained. "Soos, you stay here with Ralph and stall Giffany while we find her code."

"I can show you the way." Felix chipped in. "There's a central code hub in the Central Game Station."

"Well, I won't just stall for time." Soos stood up. "I'm gonna save Melanie."

"Y'know, I could easily end this if you just give me five minutes." Tom cracked his knuckles.

"No. You and Vanellope are coming with me and Felix." Dipper said. "We're gonna need more people in case Giffany tries to keep us from finding the code."

"But that doesn't make sense; I could end this right now."

"I don't want you destroying the game, smartass!" Dipper huffed. "Look, you're clearly strong enough, but if you fight her, you'll only destroy the game more. Just come with us."

Tom groaned in exasperation and muttered to himself. "The writers give me one fight in another book, and now I'm being babysat by this asshole."

Giffany's laughs reverberated and static surged through the sky that slowly darkened. "Okay, guys, you got the plan?" Dipper asked.

"You got it." Felix gave a thumbs up.

"Let's do this." Ralph grinned.

"Let's go!" Dipper yelled as he ran off with Vanellope, Tom and Felix.

Looking at the ground breaking apart in the distance, Ralph clenched his fists and stretched out, preparing for Giffany's arrival. "So, how's this broad look like?"

"You'll know her when you see her." Soos put up his fists.

Ralph's brows stitched. "You're shaking."

"I'm terrified."

"Don't worry, pal." Ralph patted him on the back. "I got your back."

"No, I'm afraid for Melanie." Soos sighed. "I hope she's okay."

"Well, we'll just have to find out –,"

"Ahh! What is that!?" Gene cried from the roof of the penthouse.

Ralph turned and gasped as a dark cloud rushed towards them, tearing through the landscape like a knife and crashing right before them. Giffany leapt out of the mist and in the blink of an eye, smacked Ralph aside like a ragdoll and picked Soos by his collar.

"You will be mine, Soos." Giffany said, her voice grating as static surged within her.

"N-n-no!" Soos struggled in her vice.

Giffany punched Soos in the stomach, sending him flying into the penthouse and breaking the building in half. Coughing badly, Soos pushed himself up and saw the building around him collapse, quickly shielding his body when he realized he felt nothing. Looking at his hands in shock, he saw them fizzle between code and static.

"What the …?" Soos panicked and Giffany crashed nearby.

"I'm not giving you a choice here, Soos." Giffany walked toward him, a dark, glitchy aura emanating from her body. "I'll turn you into code and you'll be immortal. We will be together."

"Not if I can help it!" Ralph yelled as he ripped his house out of the ground and smashed it onto Giffany.

Smacking the bricks away, she said, nearly screaming. "Don't interfere!"

"Sorry, I believe I haven't introduced myself. I'm Ralph, I break stuff."

* * *

"HOW FAR are we from this source code thing anyway?" Tom asked as he, Dipper and Vanellope followed Felix through the Central Game Station.

"Just up ahead." Felix said.

"Perfect. If we can just find her code, then we can end things here!" Dipper grinned then skidded to a stop. "What the?"

Videogame characters massed before them, backing up in a panic as M. Bison, Zangief, Dr Eggman and Bowser stood before the Source Code Hub. The villains eyed the four with malice, their clothes darkened, their skin pale and their eyes scrolling with code and static.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Where do you think you're going?" Dr Eggman grinned.

"I'm afraid you journey stops here. Turn back or this will get ugly." M. Bison crossed his arms.

"Who're we kidding, this already got ugly!" Zangief cackled.

"Let's make this quick; I have to return to my castle soon." Bowser stepped forward.

Dipper, Felix and Tom tensed up as the villains approached them. Tom clenched his fists then shrugged. "Okay, hold up, lemme get this straight. The others turned to him, even the villains. "Are we really fighting videogame villains right now? Really? Is this what I've been degraded to?"

"Uh, you did say you met a magical space princess once." Dipper pointed out.

"I hate my life." Tom deadpanned.

The villains charged at them. "I'll end this immediately!" Eggman cried and pulled out a remote. "Go, mini-bug bots!"

High-pitched pop sounds whizzed past Dipper and he tensed up, bracing himself. Nothing happened. "Huh?"

Eggman grinned and pressed the remote again, igniting explosions on Dipper's body that sent him flying back. "Dipper!" Tom called out.

Dipper slid on the floor and smacked against a pillar. Pushing himself up, he gasped, expecting wounds all over his body, but he was unscathed. "What's going on here?" His hand fizzled. "Huh?"

Eggman laughed heartily. "Lord Giffany anticipated your arrival – the playing field has changed. Once we defeat you, you'll become code just like the rest of the videogame world which she can manipulate as she sees fit. Your lives will become a nightmare of endless torture –,"

Tom punched Eggman in the face, crashing him into a nearby wall. "I've had enough of this stupid shit. I'm kicking all your asses."

Zangief and M. Bison charged at Tom, M. Bison throwing a left hook which Tom immediately stopped with a grin. His body shuddered suddenly and he stumbled, allowing Zangief to kick him in the ribs and fling him to the ground. Eggman pressed his remote and explosions erupted on Tom, digging him into the ground.

Felix began to panic and Eggman shot him down with a bug, turning to Vanellope who was gripped by fear as Dipper and Tom groveled on the ground. Tom grunted and looked at his hands, seeing them glitch into code. He grimaced and his eyes turned black, releasing an energy that caused the room to shake. The villains backed up in surprise and Tom fell to a knee, sending out a shockwave that warped the room around them.

"No, not now." Tom grunted.

"Mega-bug bot!" Eggman summoned a large robot bee from his remote, sending it flying toward Tom.

The robot plopped on Tom and erupted, causing a chain of explosions that sent Tom through three pillars. Vanellope shuddered. "Ha, this is too easy." Zangief grinned.

"Don't worry, Von Schweets." Eggman pushed back his glasses. "I didn't forget about you."

* * *

GIFFANY SCREAMED and hurled a wall of code at Ralph who leapt out of the way, taking cover behind a destroyed wall. "Man, she's got some stamina." He panted.

"What was I thinking? I can't fight her like this!" Soos panicked. "She's in her element!"

"Well, so am I." Ralph grinned.

Jumping out of cover, Ralph lunged at Giffany who growled angrily. Waving her arms around, she fired a beam of code at Ralph which he barreled through with a mighty punch. He drove through the attack, shattering it all around and he descended toward her.

"I told you, breaking stuff is what I'm good at." He grinned.

With a powerful scream, he threw a punch at her and she clasped it in one hand, holding his body in midair. "You are nothing but code to me." She charged energy in her free hand. "I'll eliminate you."

Creating an energy ball, she raised it to fire at Ralph when she saw Soos suddenly standing before her. She hesitated and Soos took the opportunity, pushing Ralph out of her grip. "C'mon, dude, we've gotta go!"

Giffany watched Ralph and Soos run off, her expression blank until she shook herself out of it. "Get back here!" She turned into code and flew after them.

"We can't fight her! She's too strong!" Soos yelled.

"Guess we're gonna need some help." Ralph said.

"I'm not done with you!" Giffany cried and appeared behind them, lunging out of the wave when Coily suddenly swallowed her!

"Coily!" Ralph turned back. "What're you doing?"

Coily gestured for them to go and grimaced as his body glitched.

"We'll come back for you!" Ralph yelled and turned to Soos. "Come on!"

* * *

VANELLOPE LEAPT away from an explosion and ran on as the villains ambushed her fro all sides. M. Bison threw a kick, Zangief punched at her and Eggman fired laser beams and she avoided them all, teleporting all over the place. Eggman watched the small girl escape his attacks and he grew angrier.

"Enough!" Eggman pressed the remote and it began to transform, enlarging and surrounding his body and turning into a giant robot spider. "Arachnabeam!"

Eggman fired several small beams from the spider's eyes, spreading them out and sending them bouncing off the walls and floor, causing explosions all around the station. Smoke filled the room and Zangief and M. Bison looked around, trying to see through the fog.

"Where is she?" Zangief squinted.

"Behind you!" Vanellope yelled.

Zangief turned around and Vanellope bashed her race car into his face, driving forward and drifting to a stop before M. Bison and Eggman. "Why you –,"

"Too slow!" Vanellope smashed a button on her steering wheel. "Ice Cream Blast!"

A giant ice cream cone popped out of her car and fired a strawberry scoop at the villains, coating them and smashing them against the wall.

Breathing heavily, Vanellope waited and looked at the ice cream. Seeing that nothing happened, she shifted her gears and drove on when Zangief jumped up in front of her and punched the car, forcing her out of it. Zangief clenched his fist, ready to punch the girl and Tom teleported beside him, holding his face in one hand.

"I thought I said I'll kick your asses!" Tom shot a fireball at Zangief, flinging him back.

"Neo Sword Claw!" Dipper yelled and fired an ethereal sword out of his book, blasting the door of the Source Code Room and blowing it up in an eruption of diamonds and gas.

Tom jerked back and turned to see Dipper walk toward him with his journal in one hand. "Whoa, how'd you do that?"

"I've been brushing up on my spells." Dipper slammed the book shut. "I literally don't know why I didn't do this earlier."

Eggman burst out of the ice cream and struggled with the buttons as he tried to detach his spider robot. "You won't get away!"

"Dipper, go after the Source Code, we'll hold these villains off!" Tom yelled.

"Got it." Dipper ran on and opened the book. "Laser Beam Puppy Blast!" He thrust the book forward and twelve puppies flew out, crashing on Eggman and blasting him with their laser vision.

"Ow, ow, ow! Stop that!" Eggman cried and a puppy bit him.

"Uh, what?" Vanellope raised her brow.

"I just read the first spell I saw." Dipper looked through the book. "I wonder why such a spell would be here." He flipped through. "Huh, there's a Meeseeks spell. Wonder what that is."

"Hmm, that spell kinda seems familiar somehow." Tom said.

Zangief popped out and grabbed Dipper's leg, knocking him off his feet. Tom blasted him with a fireball. "Dipper, go!"

Dipper nodded and got up, running straight through the door.

* * *

"DR KARATE, you killed my father for the third time!" Rumble McSkirmish said.

"Hhnnghhhh!" Dr Karate yelled in fury.

"You take that baaackkkk!"

Ralph and Soos raced through the arena, looking behind them to make sure Giffany hadn't found them yet. "There he is!" Ralph pointed. "Yo, Rumble!"

"Huh?" Rumble turned to them and punched out Dr Karate nonchalantly.

"Yo, dude, we need your help." Soos said, panting.

"Are you my next opponent?" Rumble asked.

"Not now, Rumble, we've got a big problem and we need your help." Ralph explained.

"What is it you want? Is there someone evil I must fight?" Rumble asked.

"Yes, you see –,"

"Soos!" Giffany yelled as she zoomed toward them on her cloud, her hands turning the sky into code as she moved past.

Rumble gasped. "Another character has gone turbo." He stood upon a rock and took a melancholic pose. "For years, sensei has trained me to fight evil, but am I up to the task to defeat such a foe? No! I must not doubt myself! I must defeat my enemy and defeat evil." He turned to Giffany. "Listen hear, villainess –,"

"Enough!" Giffany blasted a hole in Rumble's chest, causing him to disintegrate.

"Rumble!" Ralph cried out.

Giffany blasted Ralph as well and Soos began to panic, slowly stepping back as she approached him. "Soos, there is nowhere left to run. I'll give you one more chance to change your mind."

"I said no, Giffany." Soos frowned.

"Even if I let Melanie go?" Giffany said and Soos shuddered. With the flick of her hand, she caused Melanie to appear beside her.

"Soos!" Melanie said and ran toward him.

"Ah, ah, ah." Giffany raised her hand, holding her in place. "I'll make you one last offer. Join me and I'll let Melanie go."

"What's the point? You're already turning me into code anyway." Soos said.

"I don't want to make you do something you don't want. I want you to decide for yourself." Giffany smiled. "Join my side or let her die."

"You're sick!" Soos shouted.

Giffany growled and clenched her fist, joking Melanie. "Why won't you let it through your thick skull! It's over!"

* * *

" _Your friends are already defeated."_

Eggman shot Tom with a laser beam and Zangief kicked Vanellope's car with her in it, sending them both crashing back. Pushing himself up, Tom looked at his hand, failing to summon even a small ember. He looked up at the Source Code Room's door.

" _I'm already in control of the Arcade."_

Dipper swam through the data stream, moving past different icons with several videogame characters' names on them. He moved on and spotted Giffany's in the distance and smiled when he felt a tug at his leg. Bowser had latched onto him and he pulled him back, punching him and nearly knocking him out.

" _There's nowhere you can run."_

* * *

"JUST COME with me." Giffany said, offering her hand.

Soos turned to Melanie and all hope drained from his face as he saw her suffocate. Downcast, he walked toward Giffany.

* * *

BOWSER CHUCKLED as he dragged Dipper along. "Foolish child. You're nothing compared to me."

Dipper grunted and looked forward, slowly losing consciousness as Giffany's icon slowly shrunk in perspective. "No." He broke out of his grip and opened his book to the first spell he could find. "Imperium Infernos!"

A Flame hand extended out of the book and grabbed Giffany's icon crushing it. Bowser turned and gasped in horror. "No!"

* * *

SOOS WALKED toward Giffany, moving past Melanie who looked at him in terror as he reached out to touch Giffany's hand. Suddenly, Giffany shuddered and let go of Melanie, crouching and lurching in pain.

"What the?" Soos stepped back.

"Arrgh! Something's happened." Giffany screamed and the earth shook, causing her to fall to her feet. Pixels started rising from her body. "No, no!"

"What's happening?" Melanie moved up to Soos.

"The guys did it!"

"No, no, no, no! I won't lose!" Giffany screamed and ran toward Soos. "You will be mine."

"I'm sorry, Giffany, but I'm taken!" Soos punched Giffany in the face, causing her to explode into pixels.

Melanie watched the pixels shatter and turned to Soos who stood tall before her. "I don't know what happened, but I like it."

Soos grinned.

* * *

SOOS, MELANIE, Vanellope, Ralph, Felix, Tom and Dipper rode the train to Fix-It-Felix.

They arrived at the station and saw the penthouse tenants waiting for them. "What happened out there?" Deanna asked frantically.

"Someone went turbo, but we took care of it." Felix said.

"I sure hope you're alright."

"Don't worry, we're good." Ralph said.

"All we need to do is get back home." Melanie said.

"Oh no, we still don't know where Mary and Mabel are." Dipper realized.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Tom growled.

"I swear, I've checked everywhere." Mabel's voice boomed in the distance.

"What the …?"

"Look, it's coming from the screen!" Deanna pointed.

Dipper turned and saw the videogame screen in the sky. Mabel and Mary walked past it as they searched the arcade in the real world. "Mabel?" Dipper said in surprise.

"Mary!" Tom yelled.

In the real world, Mabel and Mary jerked in surprise as they heard Tom's voice. "Where'd that come from?" Mabel asked.

"Mabel, we're in here." Dipper called from the Fix-It-Felix machine.

"Dipper?" Mabel and Mary ran up to the machine. "What're you doing in there?"

"No time to explain, we need you to put in the code from earlier to get us out of here!"

"Whoa, so you're videogame characters now?" Mary asked.

"Yeah, unfortunately." Tom answered.

Mary bit her lip in excitement. "You know," she chuckled and moved up to the screen, "This kinda gives more meaning to me holding the joystick."

Tom blushed and Dipper glanced about. "Okay …" He cleared his throat. "Mabel, c-could you d-do the thing please?"

"What thing? I'm never playing videogames again after what she just said!" Mabel jerked back.

"Mabel!" Dipper screamed.

* * *

SOOS, DIPPER, Mabel, Tom, Mary and Melanie rode in his truck at the end of the day and headed back to camp. After saying goodbye to the videogame world, Dipper and Tom wondered if they'd indeed defeated Giffany.

Shifting away from Mary, Tom asked, "So, how long till we reach camp?"

"Not long now." Soos answered. "I've really gotta thank you for saving us back there."

"It's too bad things didn't turn out so well." Melanie said.

"No, it was great!" Dipper said excitedly. "I know how I'm spending next weekend."

"Not me." Mabel said and Tom groaned.

* * *

LATER THAT night, Soos got off the phone with his Abuelita and went to bed. On his bedside however, Giffany appeared on his phone's screen and disappeared.

* * *

 **Sorry for the long chapter, I've gotta learn how to pace things better.**

 **Anyway, if you liked the chapter, please leave a review and tell us what you thought about it. We'd really appreciate it because it helps us know what you guys would like to see and helps us improve our writing.**

 **If you'd like more, check out our Star Butterfly fanfic, Star vs. The Universe and check out our Deviantart RealDone Universe for our fanart and all that good stuff. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to stay posted. (Note though that we aren't online all that often) Thanks for reading.**


	7. Enter The Deep

**ENTER THE DEEP**

BLACKNESS. The cold, ever-present, wove its way through damp air. Mabel awoke, hyperventilating. She looked around, taking in the white ceramic tiles, clear glass walling the room and the Greek architecture around her.

There was water outside.

"Where am I?" Mabel panicked, nearly screaming.

"Oh, you've awoken!" A man came to her from a chair nearby. "My apologies, I must've fallen asleep."

"W-who are you?" Mabel tried to recollect, moving the sheets aside.

"Please, do not panic, I am a servant of Prince Mermando – I'm here to help."

"Prince … Mermando?" She squinted.

"Yes, yes," The man sat down, "Your boat was found sunk near our kingdom – you and your friends were half-dead."

"My friends!" Mabel shot out of bed. "Where are they?"

"They're in the other room –,"

"I have to find them!" Mabel ran off.

"Wait!" The man chased after her.

Mabel burst out of her room, breathing shakily, overwhelmed by the new world around her. People roamed the building in the concourse below. All with split tails, garbed in fine jewellery and some moving in water bubbles, they were merfolk.

Running off, she bumped into mermen and mermaids, causing a fracas. Everything blurred in her mind, light melding with pain. Her knees wobbled and she collapsed on the floor. She tried to stand and before her stood a guard.

"Are you hurt?" He asked.

"I need to find …" She gasped, getting to her feet, "I need to find my friends."

"We can't let you do that, they're under medical care." He said. "You should return to your room."

Mabel tried to think. It came to her. "Let me speak to Mermando, he's in charge."

"I'm sorry, but he isn't here right now."

"Well, what about his wife, the queen of something." Mabel said.

"Who?" The guard asked.

"What do you mean "who"? Mermando's wife, your princess!" She yelled, becoming impatient.

"My apologies, but I think you're mistaken; Mermando has no wife."

"W-what?" Mabel breathed heavily again.

"He's not married."

"I-I …" Mabel's eyes roamed all over, her mind whirring.

"Miss Mabel!" The man from before yelled.

Mabel's failed to control her breath, she was losing it. Suddenly, she felt a pang and held her stomach. It felt sticky, warm even. She looked at her hand. There was blood.

Her eyes felt heavy. Everything spun around her. Blackness.

* * *

"MABEL?" DIPPER turned around.

Tom, Wendy, Mary and Alfonse turned to him, confused as he stared at the massive palace in the distance. "You see something?" Wendy asked.

Dipper frowned, but chose to ignore it. "No, it was nothing. Let's keep moving."

The five continued down the street, each being confused by the underwater kingdom. The locals walked on their feet – their tails parted at the center – and they spoke in different and strange languages. Dipper however, was withdrawn.

"What attacked our boat?" He asked.

"Who knows?" Tom shrugged. "Just be happy that we'd crashed in this place."

"I think we should still be concerned." Alfonse chimed in. "I do have memories of a large creature capsizing our vessel. What if it's still there?"

"What if it ate everyone else?" Mary's brows stitched.

"Now, that kind of thinking's what'll keep us from finding them." Wendy cut in. "Let's focus on the task; I'm sure they're here somewhere."

They continued walking when suddenly, light flashed from a nearby alley. It was strange, yellow and ethereal, drawing a tense reaction even from Tom.

"What was that?" Tom's voice grated angrily.

Dipper frowned slightly then, quietly directing the others, moved over to where the light came from. Peeping into the backstreet, they saw four cloaked men holding their hands over a large mandala on the ground. They chanted spells.

Dipper squinted trying to listen and one of the men turned sharply. "We've been spotted!" He yelled, raising his hand. On his palm was a bloody pentagram.

"Wait, stop!" Another shouted, "It's him," he pointed at Dipper and Tom.

"We must withdraw; our work is done." The third man said.

"Stop right there!" Tom ran toward them.

The fourth man summoned a yellow portal with a two-fingered ring and the four dove in, disappearing instantly. Tom skidded to a stop and looked around, angrily clenching his fist. Black energy slowly exuded from him.

"Tom!" Mary yelled.

Tom growled and then looked into her eyes. He calmed down. "Sorry."

"What were they doing?" Wendy asked.

Dipper moved up to the mandala on the ground and crouched, studying it. It was truly massive, nearly covering two meters. With layers of symbolism, he couldn't understand it even if he tried. However, it was broken, edges faded.

Alfonse walked up to Dipper and watched him as he pulled out his Grimoire and scanned the mandala. Standing up, he turned to the others. "This's a seal of some kind and those guys were trying to break it."

"So, they were wizards?" Alfonse asked.

"That's the only conclusion."

"Well … who were they?" Wendy asked.

"Outsiders." A voice came from above. Looking up, the five saw Mermando aboard massive seahorses, accompanied by four guards. "We have much to discuss." Mermando said.

* * *

MERMANDO, DIPPER, Tom, Mary, Wendy and Alfonse entered the palace's foyer and were immediately the center of the roaming crowd of mermen. "So, it was the Gobblewonker." Wendy said. "Huh, thought that thing didn't exist."

"But, Mabel and I defeated it last summer," Dipper said, "It can't be it. Is it McGucket again? It can't be."

"Well, that's what my men told me when they saved your friends." Mermando walked on ahead of them.

"That doesn't make sense …" Dipper wracked his mind.

"While, I believe this is late and redundant, welcome to Mermantropolis." Mermando said with a smile. "You can stay here as long as you like, my good friend!"

"Well, we won't be staying here for long." Mabel said.

Mermando turned and saw Mabel standing weakly before him. "I'm sorry, sir, she wouldn't stay in her room." A merman guard quickly arrived.

"Mabel, you're awake!" Mermando walked up to her. "I was so worr –,"

Mabel walked past him. "Dipper, what happened?"

"Apparently, we were attacked by the Gobblewonker during a fishing trip with Mr Poolcheck – but, what happened to you?" Dipper moved up to her, touching her stomach which was reddened.

"Oh, it was nothing." Mabel said, her pale complexion giving it away. "Just a scratch."

"It's more than a scratch." Dipper said.

"Well, it doesn't matter, I wanna leave." Mabel turned to Mermando. "I can't breathe down here."

"Wait, what about the others?" Wendy asked.

"Some are in the medical room and others are taking a tour of the palace." Mermando said. "Please, rest up a little – we're working on your boat and you can return after it's completed."

"No, I wanna go." Mabel insisted.

"Mabel, what's wrong?" Dipper asked.

Mabel frowned, trying to keep her temper under control. She tried to speak, but hurried footsteps interrupted her. "Your Highness!" A soldier said, leading six guards.

"What is it?" Mermando asked.

"It's the barrier."

* * *

MERMANDO AND the other stood in horror atop a cliff as they saw a massive hole in the city's water barrier that a crew of magicians tried desperately to seal. Mermando frowned. "How could this happen?"

"We don't understand either; the Gobblewonker seemed to just appear out of thin air." The soldier explained. "We couldn't react in time."

"This doesn't make any sense; no sea creature has ever attacked our kingdom before." Mermando frowned.

"There's something going on here." Tom said.

"I agree." Alfonse nodded.

"I know this may be an inconvenience, but I need your help, Dipper." Mermando turned to him. "Could you help us stop these attacks whilst my men fix the barrier?"

"Sure, you can count on us." Dipper nodded.

"Wait, what?" Mabel frowned.

"What? We're helping them." He said.

Mabel yanked Dipper aside and spoke to him a low tone: "Dipper, you can't help him."

Dipper raised his brow. "Why not?"

Mabel huffed. "Mermando's a liar – we can't trust him."

"What do you mean?"

"He lied about the Queen of the Manatees – he's not married."

"… So?"

"What do you mean "so"? He lied to break up with me." Mabel said.

Scoffing, Dipper returned to the others. "We're gonna get started right away. I'm gonna investigate the barrier so we can track it. Anyone with me?"

"Sure." Tom said.

"Hell yeah!" Wendy smirked.

Dipper and the others headed out and Mabel frowned. "Dipper!" They ignored her and she became upset. Looking at Mermando, she quickly followed them down the rocks.

Dipper and the others arrived at the barrier. "Split up and show me anything interesting you find."

"Roger." Tom flew off.

"Whoa, that's a first, he's actually into something." Mary giggled and flew after him. "Honey!"

"Arrgh! Will you leave me alone!?" Tom avoided her, only exciting the girl more.

Mabel pouted as she saw the five spread out and she walked over to Dipper who looked closely at the energy barrier. Brushing his hand along it, he moved over to the hole which was being fixed. He studied the edges and frowned.

They were singed.

"What the?" He squinted.

"Wha-what is it?" Mabel moved up to him quickly.

"The barrier was … burned."

"Yeah, so?"

"That's impossible, the Gobblewonker's a fish." Dipper said.

"Well, maybe it had laser beams or something – McGucket did build it after all." Mabel put her hand on her hip.

"Well, it could be …" He looked closer at the burns. "But … how're they still hot?"

"Dipper!" Mary landed nearby. "There's trouble at the palace."

* * *

MERMANDO SLOWLY stepped over the rubble, he couldn't believe his eyes as the palace foyer stood in shambles. He turned around and looked at the large hole in the roof, his anger escalating. "What. Happened!?"

"It was the Gobblewonker, Your Grace." A soldier said frantically.

Pushing his hair back, Mermando composed himself. "Were you able to take it down?"

"No sir, it … vanished." The soldier said hesitantly.

Mermando sighed. "Is everyone okay at least?"

"Yes, just a few injured so far, Your Highness."

"Okay," Mermando sighed, "Guards continue searching the rubble for anybody trapped under there."

"We'll shift our investigation around the palace – the Gobblewonker couldn't have gone far." Dipper turned to the others. "Wendy, Tom, Mary, you check around the palace and tell me if you find anything."

"We're on it." Mary nodded and dragged Tom out of the palace.

"Mabel, you and I will start around here." Dipper said.

"I'm not helping." Mabel crossed her arms.

"What?"

"I've got other things to do." Mabel began to leave.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Mabel." Dipper walked up to her. "What're you doing? What do you mean you can't help?"

"I'm sorry; I'm just not feeling it today." Mabel shrugged.

"Is this because of Mermando?" Dipper frowned.

"Dipper, shush."

"I can't believe you, Mabel – there're people who're in danger! If we don't stop the Gobblewonker, it'll wreck the palace and everyone in it!" Dipper yelled.

"Um, excuse me, is there something wrong." Mermando walked up to them.

"Mabel, I –," The earth rumbled.

The earth rumbled more and sand fell from the ceiling. "It's coming from outside." Mermando said.

Mermando, Dipper and Mabel quickly ran out of the palace and looked upward as the grumbling worsened. The ground shook sharply and a large crack spread across the barrier, creating a panic.

"The barrier…" Dipper said.

"Guards, with me!" Mermando ordered and ran off.

Dipper, Mermando, Mabel, Tom, Mary and Wendy arrived quickly at the hole in the barrier, finding more magicians had arrived and were struggling more than ever to fix the breach. "This can't be happening." Mermando grew pale and moved up to the dome. "If this breaks, the city will be flooded."

"Well, at least it wouldn't be that bad, right?" Wendy said. "Mermen breathe underwater, right?

"No, it'd be a disaster." Mermando touched the barrier. "If the water comes crashing down, the city would be destroyed and the force would crush everyone, Mermen included."

"How's the Gobblewonker responsible for this? Isn't it basically a Kraken?" Tom asked.

"Wait, how do you know that?" Wendy asked.

"What do you think I do in my room all day? I read." Tom shrugged. "And the Gobblewonker was actually a machine Fiddleford McGucket built and he revealed it to the public a few months ago."

"He did?" Dipper raised his brow. "Huh, guess I haven't been reading much outside magic lately."

"See? Don't underestimate me." Tom crossed his arms.

As the others continued talking, Mermando looked at the crack on the barrier and studied it. "There're no pressure marks."

"Huh?" Dipper turned to him.

"There aren't any pressure marks!" Mermando said. "The barrier wasn't broken from the outside."

"Well, what could've happened then?" Mabel asked.

Mermando turned to them. "It's the crystal."

"What do you mean?" Dipper frowned.

"We need to get back to the castle now!"

* * *

THE EARTH shook as the palace rumbled, worrying Mermando, Dipper, Mabel, Wendy, Tom and Mary who rushed through the foyer toward a hallway. Dipper jumped away as a brick fell toward him and he turned to Mermando who ran up ahead of them. "Mermando, where're we going exactly?"

"The underground vault, it's where the barrier crystal's kept. If the barrier's breaking the way it is, it's because the crystal's damaged." Mermando explained. "Now, we must move quickly!"

The group ran further into the hall, getting further and further into the underground and further away from light. As lamps on the walls replaced overhead lights, Dipper turned back and turned to Tom – he seemed angrier than he'd ever seen him. Mary was concerned.

Looking back however, Dipper noticed Mabel starting to fall back. "Mabel?"

"No, no, just carry on; it's nothing." She quickly said.

Mermando looked to Mabel then slowly nodded. "Okay." He went on with the others.

Dipper remained behind and moved up to her. "Mabel, what is it now?"

"I don't wanna do this anymore."

"Do what? Help people? Solve mysteries?" He asked.

"No, it's …"

"Mermando again?"

"Dipper, he lied to me – I thought we had something in common." She rubbed her arm. "I thought he felt the way I did –,"

"Mabel, get a grip! Our friends' lives are at stake!" Dipper frowned.

"Well, can't you consider how I feel? He broke my heart."

"Then pick it up and get your head in the game."

"Dipper." Mabel frowned.

"Look, Mabel, I'm not gonna step aside just so you can have the luxury to whine and moan forever!" Dipper frowned. "The world isn't all about you – it's this type of selfishness that got Bill Cipher out in the first place!"

Mabel jerked back, "… Dipper …"

Dipper stepped back. "If you wanna cry, fine …" He began to leave. "Just don't get in my way anymore."

Dipper headed down the stairs and Mabel stood there, silently watching him disappear. Looking around the hall, she moved back upward and glanced back at him as he left.

* * *

MERMANDO PUSHED the vault doors aside and ran in with Tom, Mary, and Wendy. Looking around at the slick chrome floors, steel roof, gears and cascading pillars converging to the center of the room, Mermando led the others through the room, moving up to the central platform where a massive purple orb stood in a force field.

Before it, stood four cloaked men and a raven-haired woman in a black suit with a red shirt and a glove on her right arm. "Ah, as expected from our wise and valiant prince Mermando! Welcome," she curtseyed.

"Who are you?" Mermando asked.

"I am Deming from the kingdom of –,"

"Great, now she's gonna tell her 'I'm a warrior space princess story again." A wizard interjected.

"Why'd I have to be put under her?" Another said.

"Hey, I wasn't gonna tell that story again!" The woman blushed.

"Oh yeah? Which story were you gonna tell then?" The first wizard said.

"I was gonna … uh …" She stroked her chin then growled. "Shut up!"

The second wizard groaned. "Why do you even need to tell those stories, Deming?"

"Well, shouldn't I get in character for a mission?" Deming asked.

Tom fired an energy ball at Deming and she jumped back quickly. "Quit wasting my time! Who the hell are you?" He grimaced.

"Whoa, so it's him." Deming pocketed her hands. "Hmm, quite strong for someone his age."

Tom growled and Dipper rushed into the room. "It's the wizards from before." He said and drew out Journal Four.

"So, you're the ones who've been running amok in the kingdom." Mermando said. "What do you want?"

"The head of the boy at the door," Deming huffed and put her hand on her hip. "It's funny how much my master wants him dead even though he's insignificant." She turned to Tom. "I'll also be taking him with us."

"Tom?" Mary asked. "What for?"

Deming scoffed and ignored her, turning to Tom. "Do not worry, Master, your liberation is at hand."

"Master?" Dipper raised his brow.

"What is she talking about, dude?" Wendy asked.

Tom gnashed his teeth and black energy flooded out of his body, nearly engulfing everyone around him. Bursting forth with force that nearly destroyed the ground, he lunged at Deming with a blazing fist. Deming however simply smiled and raised her gloved hand.

An eye opened from her palm.

Tom froze in place and his aura disappeared, knocking him out instantly and sending him collapsing on the floor. "Tom!" Mary ran toward him, but suddenly stopped in her tracks and fainted as well.

"Mary!" Wendy yelled.

Deming jerked back in surprise. "Curious." She snapped her fingers and the wizards froze. "Take the master." She looked at Mary. "And maybe her too …" She turned to Dipper. "I'll take care of him."

The four wizards shuddered and started convulsing, veins spreading across their bodies and blood pooling at their mouths. Mermando and Wendy backed away as the wizards lurched about with red electricity sparking all over them. They began to transform.

"What the hell's going on here?" Wendy asked.

"Sorcery, a very powerful kind." Mermando said.

The wizards shape-shifted into massive, deformed creatures: a griffin, a wolf, a serpent, and an ogre. Deming licked her finger and cut her tongue open with it, causing her right eye to sink back into her skull. A spinning mandala appeared in her socket and she grinned.

"Get them."

"Oh, I wish I had different friends." Wendy drew out Stone Crusher.

Deming and the monsters charged and Mermando summoned a trident from thin air, raising it up and spinning it above his head. Water swirled around him and he fired it at Deming who blocked it with a mandala and sent it back at him. The griffin and wolf pounced on Wendy and she fought them off and the ogre ran over to Tom.

"No, you don't!" Dipper opened the book. "Flame spiral!"

Fire burst out of the book and shot toward the ogre, burning everything in its path when Deming blocked it with a mandala and sent it back at him. Dipper jumped out of the way and Deming teleported in front of him, smacking him aside and onto a nearby wall.

Wendy hacked the griffin's leg and the wolf came at her from behind, only to be shot away by Mermando who came to her aide when suddenly, the serpent came down and wrapped around him, choking him. Wendy saw this and tried to help, but the griffin clawed at her, sending her tumbling back.

Deming picked Dipper up and stabbed his stomach with her hand. "So, what should I squeeze? Your liver, intestines or stomach?" Dipper coughed up blood and Deming grinned. "You'll let me choose? How kind!"

Deming twisted her hand and Dipper screamed, gaining a laugh from her as she enjoyed the sound of his voice. She tugged at it when the door suddenly slammed opened.

"Mabel!" Mermando turned to her.

Clasping her pendant, Mabel thrust Deming back with her telekinetic powers and held her arm up, forcing the ceiling down onto the monsters. Escaping the serpent's grasp, Mermando summoned a whirlpool under his feet and blasted Deming out of the room. He spun the weapon and shot the monsters, onto a nearby wall.

"Dipper!" Mabel ran toward him and picked him up. "Dipper, are you okay?"

"M-ma –," Dipper spat up blood.

"Dipper!"

Wendy ran toward the hole in the wall and looked outside. Deming was gone. She turned to where the monsters were and they were gone as well. "What the?"

"We need to get him to the infirmary!" Mermando moved up to her and held out his hand. "Let me help you take him."

Mabel looked at Mermando then at his hand hesitantly. "Okay."

"Come on, quickly!"

* * *

TOM SLOWLY came to on– sounds blaring and blinding light drawing a grunt from him as he looked around and saw that he was in a hospital room. On the bed next to him was Mary who was slowly coming to and Dipper on the other side of the room who was surrounded by Wendy, Mabel and Mermando.

"Uh, guys? What happened?" He asked.

"Oh, Tom, you're awake." Wendy turned to him.

"Tom!" Mary screamed then turned to him. "Phew, you're okay."

"What happened?" Tom asked.

"There was this witch who attacked us and she knocked you out with something." Wendy explained, "But she's gone now."

"Oh, okay then." Tom said, still reeling.

"I really have to thank all of you for your help," Mermando said, "If it wasn't for you, we'd have never stopped those witches and now, we can finally fix the barrier."

"We can't take all the credit – you did a lot with your trident and water stuff." Wendy said.

Mermando chuckled. "Well, I try."

"Mermando," Mabel said.

"Yes?" He turned to her.

"Could we talk? Alone."

His face tightened. "Sure."

Leaving the room, Mabel closed the door behind them and made sure the hall was empty. "What do you want to talk about?" Mermando asked. Mabel frowned. "Oh, so you know …" Mermando rubbed his neck and huffed. "Look, I'm sorry, I should've told you the truth, but I wasn't sure how to put it … I –,"

"Actually, I wanted to apologize." Mabel said.

"What?" He raised his brow.

"I kinda threw myself on your last summer and I'm sorry about that." Mabel sighed. "I've been kinda boy crazy for a while, just falling for every guy I see and I thought I'd moved on since last year, but being back here made me realize I hadn't. I still had feelings for you."

"I didn't want to hurt you." Mermando said.

"No, it's okay, it's my fault." Mabel said. "I shouldn't just think about myself." She looked back at the door. "I've got a brother to take care of and I've got to learn to move on. I've got some growing up to do."

Mermando smiled then looked around. "So, friends then?" He held out his hand.

Mabel grinned. "Of course!" She hugged him. "Let's get back to the others."

"Yeah." Mermando opened the door and they entered the other room, finding the others talking.

"Hey, where're the others anyway?" Wendy asked.

"Oh, they should be okay – their tour should be over by now." Mermando explained.

"What about Mr Poolcheck?" Mary asked.

"Yeah, I bet he'd flip out after seeing this place." Wendy said.

"Mr … oh, you mean your Camp Manager? Oh, he never came to."

"What?"

* * *

"WHA!" MR Poolcheck yelled as he came to and looked around at the campers who were seated around the boat. "Wha … what happened?"

"Oh, you missed it, Mr Poolcheck! We caught this really big fish!" Peter Irons moved up to him.

"Wait, wait, what about the accident?" Mr Poolcheck got up quickly.

"What accident?" Lil Gideon asked.

"The ... there was a giant monster that attacked the boat – we were capsized!" Mr Poolcheck looked around.

"You have the craziest darn imagination Mr Poolcheck – we were just fishin' here the whole time!" Gideon chuckled.

"B-but I –,"

"C'mon, lemme show ya the fish we got so Team Royalty can take the win again." Gideon walked Mr Poolcheck to his team.

Dipper and Mabel watched the campers from nearby and Mabel chuckled. "Huh, who woulda thought Lil Gideon would help?"

"Well, I guess he can be reasonable when he wants to be." Dipper said. "Plus, he has the massive fish we got from Mermando to win the contest."

"Yeah, that too." Mabel laughed. She looked around then huffed. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier."

"No, I should be sorry; I was being harsh – I should've been considerate."

"No, I needed that – I can't chase boys forever, now can I?" Mabel shrugged.

"So … we good?" Dipper asked.

"We're good." Mabel smiled.

Dipper huffed then looked at the Grimoire. "I wonder who those wizards were."

"Yeah, they just left without a trace."

"Yeah … and they called Tom 'master',"

"What?" Mabel raised her brow.

"Yeah." Dipper frowned. "There's something he's not telling us."

Mabel looked to Dipper then turned to Tom who chatting with Mary nearby. She frowned.


	8. Space Games

**For those new to the RealDone Universe, please note that this version of Gravity Falls isn't exactly like it is in the show, thus characters and lore will be altered because it's part of a wider universe, ergo the RealDone Universe.**

* * *

 **SPACE GAMES**

CREAKING SOUNDS echoed throughout the harrowing, dim and dingy halls of the spacecraft. Teeming with dead plants, rats and clouded in steam that spread across the floor, the massive vessel encompassed Dipper, Tom, Alfonse and Wendy, and extended out before them, seemingly endlessly into the dark.

"You sure this ship will hold?" Wendy asked, careful to avoid the tiles jutting from the floor.

"Yeah, Grunkle Ford and I explored this place last year; it isn't that different." Dipper answered, trying to mask his own unease as he fumbled along.

"Except for this strange heat, though," Tom pulled his collar to air himself. "It's like an oven in here."

"It is strangely humid." Alfonse concurred.

"Well, we should just get what we came for and get out quickly." Wendy said.

"Yeah, you're right," Dipper nodded and turned to Alfonse. "You sure you know where the Norn Stone is?"

"Yes. Our crew had travelled the galaxy in search of various artifacts and the Norn Stone was our most prized possession." Alfonse said, looking off into the distance.

"Dude, he asked if you knew where the Norn Stone was, not for exposition," Tom interrupted.

"Right, follow me." Alfonse shook himself out of it and made a corner, leading them through the halls. Maneuvering the vines that began to increase as they walked, Alfonse reached a room with a heavy steel door and pushed against it, opening it with a grating squeak.

Squeezing their way into the room, they were immediately met with stinging light coming from a hole in the ceiling and a damp coldness from the leaking pipes on the floor. At the room's center however was a broken display case with a cracked white stone lying at its base. "The Norn Stone!" Dipper exclaimed and moved toward it when Alfonse suddenly stopped him.

"Wait, we can't use it." Alfonse said.

"Why not? We came all the way over here." Tom said.

"The stone's cracked – it'll be too dangerous to use it in this state."

"Well, let's find out then." Dipper walked on.

"Whoa, Dipper, shouldn't we listen to him? He knows about it more than we do." Wendy held his shoulders.

"Yeah, but when're we going to have another chance like this?" Dipper said angrily and moved his shoulder away from her.

"Dipper, don't be hasty; this artifact has cosmic power! It's more than a bridge between worlds." Alfonse said.

"But it's our only chance – I said I'd help you get back home and I will." Dipper said with determination and moved over to the Norn Stone, picking it and moving it to the center of the room. Pulling out Journal Number 4, he began to draw a transmutation circle on the floor.

"Just your garden variety sorcery, I guess," Wendy said as she watched him. "Consult your local demonologist before you do this."

Dipper put the chalk away and grabbed the stone, placing it in the middle of the circle. "Alright, Tom, prove what you said earlier."

"Pfft, please, of course I can." Tom moved up to the stone and shot red energy out of his hand, collecting it over the stone and turning it into a portal with a white center. "After you, ladies." He said, dusting his hands.

Wendy smiled at him, impressed, when the portal began to spark abruptly, pushing her back. "What's happening?"

A bright light erupted from the portal and blinded the four, engulfing them soon after and disappearing instantly. The Norn Stone remained on the circle, smoldering.

* * *

SHE HUMMED to herself as she floated through the void, amused and entranced by the psychedelic clouds and debris floating past her. The cold wafted through her blonde hair, coolly gracing her heart marked cheeks and moving against her aqua dress.

Feeling somewhat at ease despite her being stranded, she flew onward to the orange light in the distance. "La, la, la-la, la! La la – oof!" She coddled her nose in pain as she'd smacked into a wall. Looking up, she saw a large sign of a detached skyscraper's roof. "Ooh, the old Krei Tech building! This must be where it went," She sulked and crossed her arms. "Too bad I had to be sent to earth **after** the big Big Hero 6 fight – I never get to do anything fun" She shook her head out of it. "No, cheer up, Star! We can get through this!" She raised her wand. "Sorcerer Unicorn!"

White butterflies sprung free from her wand and whirled around, collecting and forming into a huge, terrifying black unicorn coiled in chains and marred with scars. Its black eyes squinted tensely and it kicked its feet up, huffing angrily and breathing fire.

"Eek!" She squealed and she hopped onto the horse daintily, receiving a mighty neigh as it raised its hooves to the air and stormed onward. Whipping its tail, the unicorn summoned a bright caramel rainbow behind it and galloped on excitedly. The girl cackled evilly and felt like she was on top of the world … for three seconds, before stopping and getting bored. "It's not the same without the boys." She sighed.

A sharp, stinging light shone in her face and the portal apparated, spitting out Dipper, Tom, Alfonse, and Wendy who were flung around with force. The blonde watched the portal as it immediately closed then quickly raised her wand to defend herself as the five flew past her. It was only then that she saw Tom and immediately brightened. "Tom!"

The girl squealed again and tackled the boy, hugging him tightly and rubbing her chubby cheeks against his. "Hey, hey, hey! Get off a' me!"

"Ooh, it's been so long!"

"I mean it, Star!" Tom frowned then huffed in defeat as she continued to giggle, hiding a small smile. Nearby, Dipper, Alfonse and Wendy got their bearings and looked around, realizing they were floating.

"What the hell?" Dipper said, astonished.

Star gasped and tossed Tom aside. "Look at these guys!" She yelled and flew up to them, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "They're all so cool! – Except him." She pointed at Dipper who deadpanned.

Tom glided towards them and laughed uneasily as Star bit her wand eagerly. "Uh, guys, this's the Magical Space Princess I mentioned earlier – she's a friend of mine, Star Butterfly."

Star gasped again, nearly breathless as she tapped Tom's chest repeatedly and grabbed his collar. "You talked about me?!"

"Wish I hadn't," Tom murmured in a groan then continued. "This's Dipper, Wendy, and Alfonse, friends of mine."

"Awesome!" Star grinned.

"You …" Wendy looked at Tom in his signature scowl then turned to Star who giggled with glee. "… Are friends with her?"

"It's a strange universe." Tom shrugged.

Star continued to eye Tom's friends, but quickly raised her wand as she saw Alfonse. "Whoa, stay back!"

"Star, stop!" Tom moved her hand away. "What're you doing?"

"Huh?" Star squinted then looked at Alfonse. "Oh, heh, sorry about that, I thought you were a long-eared alien who shot me here." She laughed uneasily and Alfonse covered his ears.

"Shot you here? What're you talking about?" Tom asked.

"Well, this isn't exactly the suburbs, is it?" Star said.

"Yeah, where are we anyway?" Wendy scoped the area.

"I dunno, I've been here for a while and I can't make a portal to get out. Some blue alien guy with big ears –," Star turned to Alfonse, "- sorry – shot me here. How'd you guys get here?"

"We were trying to get Alfonse here back home, but the portal didn't work." Dipper explained.

"Oh ... Well, since we're here; let's find a portal back home together!" Star grinned and grabbed Tom, skipping away with him and humming to herself.

Wendy watched Star as she forced Tom onto Sorcerer Unicorn. "Y'know, I hadn't reacted before, but that kid sure is strange." She said to Dipper.

"Yeah, he is." He answered, feeling more and more unnerved.

With Star and Tom aboard, Sorcerer Unicorn neighed and galloped along, summoning the caramel rainbow behind it. "Seriously?" Wendy raised her brow.

Star cackled as she rode about and Tom ducked away from a huge slab of debris that flew by. "Hey, watch it!"

Star continued to laugh then looked around. "Oh, look, Easter Eggs." She pointed at a bunch of Easter Eggs floating past four Zanpakutou, a broken Arc Reactor and a flaming skeleton on a motorcycle riding past in the distance. "Weird."

Nearby however, a portal opened and out came a blue alien with long ears clad in black and grey armor and armed with a portal gun. His beady reptilian eyes became slits as he looked around and he grinned as he saw Star and he took aim. Firing the gun, he summoned a green portal before her, entrapping her, Tom, Dipper, Wendy and Alfonse in one fell swoop. The portal shut soon after and he grinned.

* * *

THE LIGHT faded as the portal gave way and Star and Tom – on Sorcerer Unicorn –, and Wendy, Dipper, and Alfonse, fell out and right onto hard metal bars. Dusting themselves, they looked up at the dark vastness broken up by tinges of light that surrounded them in the massive underground prison block.

They were in a birdcage hanging from the high ceiling above just like several others that were connected by chains and went down into a seemingly never-ending dark abyss. "Where are we now?" Tom groaned.

"Under the Grandmaster's arena." Came a calm male voice from their right. Turning, they saw a white-haired man in an open red hooded coat, black pants and boots with a sword who laid comfortably in a nearby cell. "You're the newest entrants in his Space Games."

Tom blinked and stepped forward. "And who're you?"

"I'm Dante, Son of Sparda." The man replied curtly. "I hunt demons."

Tom blinked. "Uh-huh." He spun towards Dipper and was fuming mad. "This is your fault!"

"What? Me?" Dipper stepped back.

"If you'd listened to Alfonse and Wendy, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Whoa, Tom, calm down, man." Wendy held his shoulder and he walked off, pacing around angrily. Star began to watch him closely.

"He has a point though, I had warned you of the Norn Stone." Alfonse said then sighed. "I just wonder how we can get out of here."

Dipper frowned and started to rack his mind for a way out. As he moved around, he didn't notice Tom had begun mumbling to himself and slowly released red energy from his body. Seeing this, Star began to tense up and she clutched her wand, causing glowing tattoos to creep up her arm.

"There's no way outta here. The prison's walls stop portals from being opened somehow." Dante said.

"How do you know this? How'd you get captured?" Dipper asked.

"I let myself get captured – there's something I want from here." Dante said and smiled to himself, unnerving Dipper.

* * *

BIRDS CHIRPED and fluttered through the leaves and bushes of the forest, moving by Mabel and Mary who made their way through the sandy footpath. "Dipper! Dipper!" Mabel cried out and huffed in exasperation. "You really think this's a good idea? They'll come back soon, won't they?"

"No, we need to find them quickly." Mary said with a wince and began to slow down again. Mabel came to her side and Mary quickly stopped her. "No, I'm fine." She said unconvincingly. "We need to find them." She said firmly and walked on, leaving Mabel concerned.

* * *

DIPPER SAT back against the cell and watched the others move around in agitation and worry. He set his eyes on Star and started to notice her tense up more than usual when suddenly, a loud boom from above took his attention, followed by the rattling of the cell as the chains above started to reel upward.

In confused silence, the five rose and realized their cell was being carried up. At the mercy of the unknown, they looked around and wondered what to do and Dipper turned down to see Dante salute them off and draw his sword. Shocked, Dipper moved to the edge of the cell to see what he was doing, but was immediately interrupted by a new light.

The five groaned as they were harshly met by flashing lights and the roar of an audience that rang in their ears from all sides. The banging of the cell door flinging open prompted them to step out and when they did, they were awestruck and shocked to see that they were in the middle of a massive arena.

The ground of the arena floor was covered in red earth and the stands rose high above, seemingly touching the starry outer space that was littered with twelve moons yet separated by the force field shielding the area. Dipper looked at the various aliens in the audience and was stopped as he saw the VIP area and was captivated with fear.

In the large red seats were Beerus, the blue cat god of destruction from Dimension 12 and he's attendant Whis, the blue god of creation; Aizen, the lord of Hueco Mundo; Loki, the Prince of Asgard, and the Grandmaster himself. The five men watched as the cell was brought up, but were immediately alarmed as they saw the occupants step out.

"This can't be." Aizen frowned.

"So, they're here." Loki sneered.

"Hmm, this became more interesting." Beerus sat back.

"It appears we're in the presence of a Demi-Valar and the Dark Son." The Grandmaster grinned as he eyed Star and Tom who looked back into his eager gaze.

Whis however was not amused. "We must leave immediately – it's too dangerous here."

Beerus sighed. "Unfortunately, he's right. The gods need to hear about this."

"Indeed." Loki nodded and stood up, following Beerus, Whis, Aizen, and Loki out.

The Grandmaster watched them leave then stood to address the audience. "Welcome beings from around the galaxy to the Space Games! Today's contestants are from the planet Terra and will compete against my prized beasts for a coveted place in the Grandmaster's collection!" He said with a booming voice and the audience responded with a roar of exhilaration. With that, he held his hand out. "Let the games begin!"

The Grandmaster sent out a blue beam from his palm onto the arena grounds and out of it came a giant red wolf that landed with a bang. Standing tall with icicles on its back, iron teeth, and wood along its ribs, the monster stalked around Dipper, Tom, Star, Wendy, and Alfonse, snarling viciously.

The Grandmaster continued. "The first challenger is the Elemental Beast, a wanted monster feared in the Milky Way Galaxy and an escapee from both the Null Void and the Phantom Zone." As if prompted, the beast roared at the five, splashing saliva everywhere. "Begin!"

"Great, more of this shit." Tom frowned.

The beast slammed its paws on the ground and metal coils burrowed towards the five, breaking up the earth. They jumped away quickly and the metal shot out, flying after them.

Tom smacked away the metal with a blazing fist, Star blasted it with her wand, Dipper dodged just barely, Wendy hacked it with her axe, and Alfonse slashed it with his sword. Jumping back and creating distance, the five eyed the beast.

The beast lunged at Tom, spraying fire out from its ribs to deter the others and came down on the boy. Tom smirked and returned with a powerful shot of his own, only for the wolf to swallow it and spit it back at him, knocking him back.

Wendy came to Tom's aid and swung her axe at the monster who quickly caught the blade with his palm, pushed it back at her then slammed her on the ground, almost cutting her as it pressed against her breast. Seeing her pinned down, Alfonse fired at the beast with an energy bow and drew its attention.

The monster turned to Alfonse as he sprayed arrow after arrow at it, but it remained unfazed and shot its tongue at him, stretching it over several meters. Grabbing his weapon, the wolf lunged at Alfonse and bashed him with his head, sending him down hard.

From far behind, Star charged energy into her wand. "Sprinkle Pumpkin Buttercup Blast!" She summoned a vortex of pumpkins, buttercups and sprinkles and sent it at blinding seeds at the wolf. The wolf had nowhere to go, but it suddenly vanished and with a loud thud, it apparated behind her and raised its paw to claw her.

Dipper opened his book. "Phoenix –," Before he could finish the spell, Tom whooshed past him and tackled the monster, lifting the two ton beast and chucking it several meters across the arena into a nearby wall.

Star shook her head, rocked by what'd happened and she turned to Tom and saw a red aura blazing from him. "No, no, no, Tom –," The boy ignored her and shot straight at the monster, landing a furious punch and resulted in a small earthquake that rocked the arena and clouded him in dust.

The haze cleared and the monster remained standing, unaffected by the attack, and it whipped Tom away with its massive tail, jumping back at him. Star watched the two battle, unable to differentiate man from beast as each wild and powerful strike sent out shockwave after shockwave.

She panicked and looked at her wand, sensing the energy welling as her once invisible tattoos came aglow. Steeling herself, she held out her wand and breathed deeply, releasing a sudden gust that stole everyone's attention. Snapping her eyes open, she sent out a bright light that emitted from her body and with a mighty swing, summoned a large portal above the wolf.

The Grandmaster sat up from his seat, shocked as the portal turned into a vacuum and took the monster away instantly. The arena remained silent. "Impossible." He said breathless.

Dipper, Wendy and Alfonse looked at Star and Tom in awe and Dipper quickly ran up to Star, not noticing his knees shaking. "How … w-w-What was that!? I thought you couldn't open portals here."

"I had to tap into my other powers; I have to keep Tom at bay for the Valar." Star answered absentmindedly.

Dipper squinted and replayed what she just said. "What?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing!" Star jerked back and laughed, rubbing her head. "Ooh, maybe, I shouldn't have said that." She hid her tattoos.

"What's going on here?" Wendy asked, but was caught off by the audience that erupted in cheers.

Tom panted as he looked around then turned to the Grandmaster who rose up again. "Fantastic job, Terrans! Just as expected from the Home World of the Great Starlord!" He said with a grin. "Now, for the next challenger!" He held his hand out and it released a blue glow.

Tom looked around expecting another beast to appear, but was suddenly rocked as the arena began to rumble. The audience's cheers became wilder and the arena, which sat on a giant asteroid, began to shift and lurch!

Walls jutted out of the ground, crisscrossing the five and forming a massive maze that separated them. Tom turned to the walls and saw veins pulsate through them. "What the hell?"

"Your next opponent," The Grandmaster yelled. "Is the Arena itself!" The audience thundered with elation and the five were gripped with terror.

* * *

MARY AND Mabel strode down the halls of the alien ship and Mabel waved her nose as the steam spread further. "Ugh, what is that smell!" Mabel said and turned to Mary. "Are you sure they're here? I don't like this place."

"I'm sure they're here – just a little further." Mary wheezed and fell over, quickly caught by Mabel who laid her on her lap.

"Mary? Mary, what's wrong?" Mabel cried then frowned as white energy came from the white-haired girl's body. "What the?"

"Mabel, help me, we need to move quickly," Mary held her face. "We're almost where Tom is."

Mabel frowned slightly and reluctantly helped Mary up. "I sure hope you know what you're doing."

* * *

RUMBLINGS RIPPLED through the arena and the chanting of the audience began to grate on Tom's nerves. The maze coiled around the five and had separated them: Alfonse alone, Wendy and Star alone, and Dipper and Tom alone. "We need to get out of here quick." Dipper said.

Tom looked up and said with an unearthly voice. "Yeah, I'm working on it."

"Whoa!" Dipper jerked back, almost falling as he saw the red energy had engulfed Tom's face and his eyes were glowing white, making him look like a ghost.

"What?"

WITH STAR & WENDY - Star looked around anxiously and Wendy studied her. "Star, calm down, we'll make it outta here."

"No, no, you don't understand! I need to get to Tom!" Star started pacing.

"Why?"

WITH ALFONSE- Alfonse eyed his surroundings then turned and saw a veiny bulge in the ground. Drawing his sword, he stepped back and waited – his eyes sharp and alert.

A hand burst out of the ground.

"Huh?"

Several dwarf humanoid monsters exploded out of the earth, each small, and red and littered with horns over their muscular clawed bodies. Alfonse swung his sword, but was immediately swarmed.

STAR AND WENDY – Star blasted three of the monsters with her wand, flipped over and spun around; creating a wind that flung them back. Striking a cute Sailor Moon pose, she blew her wand and twirled it like a gun. "And that's how the cookie crumb–," The monsters swarmed again. "You shitty bastards."

Screaming angrily, Wendy slashed two monsters' heads off and hacked the ground, breaking it and creating a trough that swallowed more creatures in. She panted and pushed herself up, not noticing the creatures that came from behind and dog-piled her.

TOM AND DIPPER – Dipper smacked a monster with Journal Number 4 and he opened it, not seeing another dwarf jump at him. Tom shot the creature down and punched another aside, moving up to Dipper angrily. "Will you concentrate!? We're getting outnumbered here and you're just reading!"

"Okay, Tom, just-just calm down," Dipper stepped back.

"What?" Tom raised his brow and dwarves pounced on him, receiving severe burns and as he knocked them off.

Dipper flipped pages hastily and turned to a creature behind him. "Halo Pincer!" Conjuring a palm-sized light mandala, he fired several energy pincers at the beasts. Turning to Tom who was thrashing the dwarves easily, he moved to assist, but Tom shuddered and fell to a knee.

"No, not this again." Tom grunted and electricity surged around him, causing his red aura to diminish.

"What's going on?" Dipper asked.

"My powers – ngh!" Tom keeled over and Dipper saw several creatures run at them.

ALFONSE – Alfonse jumped out of the monster pile, beaten and bruised, and fell on the ground, rising and seeing them blindly attacking each other. Using the distraction, he tried to limp away, but they noticed him.

STAR AND WENDY – The beasts clawed at Star and Wendy from all sides, leaving the two helpless and at their mercy as they marred their bodies with scars. Writhing and fighting the pain, Star punched up and raised her wand to the sky. "Radio Bunny!" She screamed and summoned a giant blue bunny with headphones and an 80's radio playing rap music and it turned up the volume, creating a sound wave that ripped the monsters apart. Star fell to her knees. "I can't keep this up like this." She looked to her wrist and saw the tattoos slowly light up. She had to tap in again, but was hesitant.

DIPPER AND TOM – Dipper fired energy pincers wildly at the monsters around him and he ran up to Tom, trying to defend him. The monsters continued pouring in and he raised his arm to summon a mandala again, but nothing happened. "No, no!" The monsters swarmed and knocked him down.

Grabbing Tom, they pinned him against a wall and slowly tore at his clothes, drawing blood as they cut him repeatedly. Under the intense pain, Tom growled and bent over. "Enough!" Red energy exploded out of him, enveloping the arena and causing a great explosion that shook the audience, including the Grandmaster.

The Grandmaster stood up and looked at the resultant smoke cloud over the arena grounds, trying to see through the fog. Stirring, Star looked around and found herself in the middle of a debris field. "No, no, no, no, no, Tom," Star said in panic as she began to sense a dark presence and she stood up quickly, holding her wand tightly and bringing her tattoos fully alight. Pouring in yellow energy, she transformed her wand into a golden sword and held it out before her.

Tom's stood up ahead, shrouded in red energy and panting angrily.

"Tom, I don't wanna fight you again." Star said, slowly approaching him.

Wendy, Dipper and Alfonse slowly regained consciousness and looked at the debris surrounding them and the monster carcasses on the ground, only to see Tom standing before them. They quickly became tense. "Tom?" Star called out again. Tom smirked and turned to Star in response. "Tom!" She cried in excitement.

Tom fired energy out of the smoke cloud with a punch and right at the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster however merely cocked his neck and avoided the shot then waved his hand and dismissed the smoke cloud, revealing the five below. "Futile." He flicked his hand and the arena began to shake.

Raising his hand, the Grandmaster began to raise the earth, shattering it and causing pieces to levitate upward. Standing at the center of the chaos, Tom scoffed and punched the ground, creating a tremor that knocked the Grandmaster back. Cracking his knuckles, Tom stepped forward. "Dipper, what're the orders?"

Dipper blinked and looked at Tom as he stared at the Grandmaster. "Right." Dipper stood and looked to the others. "Wendy, Alfonse, find a way back to the cells and we'll meet up there. Star, Tom, let's kick some ass."

"You got it, boss!" Wendy grinned and ran off with Alfonse.

Dipper walked up to Tom and Star who looked to the Grandmaster who seethed with rage. Snapping his fingers, thirteen lights appeared around the three, summoning thirteen armored giants that moved toward them.

"Let's go!" Star cackled and swung her sword, chucking a rainbow wave of cute squirrels that blew up three giants. Running on, she attacked the giants and left Tom and Dipper stunned.

The giants charged and Tom and Dipper split up. Dipper flipped through the Journal and turned to a page with the words 'NEW SPELLS.' "Echoing Dawn!" Summoning a tiny mandala, he fired out an even smaller force field ball at two giants.

The ball rolled to a stop at the feet of the giants and they looked on in confusion, then it let out a wave of light as intense as the sun and shredded their armor and sent them flying at the sheer force of the release. Nearby, Tom did battle with three giants – punching one down, kicking the other then grabbing the third and chucking it into the air. Apparating above the rising giant, Tom dove down and punched it, burrowing it into the ground and destroying the others in the collision.

Tom jumped back to Dipper and Star and they stood back-to-back, luring the remaining five monsters to them. Star raised her wand. "Happy Heart Friendship Cannon!" Star leapt forward with a twirl, spraying rainbow energy around her, Tom, and Dipper that catapulted them toward the giants. Enveloped in the energy, the three rocketed at their opponents.

Tom coated his fists in red energy and melded it into the rainbow around them, Star channeled power into her wand, and Dipper opened Journal Number 4. "Rising Phoenix!" He cried and sent fire into the rainbow.

Led by Star, the three crashed into the giants in a mighty collision, sending waves that upheaved half the arena. Taking that as the signal, Wendy raised her axe that glowed brightly and struck the ground and broke it apart. Alfonse, who was beside her, fired an arrow at the broken earth, burrowing right through it and creating a hole. "Guys, the hole's ready!" Wendy called out.

Dipper, Tom and Star ran out of the dust cloud, a little disoriented and looked at the downed giants around them. "Yay, we murdered thirteen poor giants who were most likely forced against their will by the Grandmaster! Woohoo!" Star cheered and twirled then stopped. "Wait."

Dipper chuckled then saw Wendy wave at them. "Guys, c'mon!" He ran on. From the stands, the Grandmaster watched the five rushing into the hole and he calmly returned to his seat.

A soldier came to his side. "Grandmaster, the prisoners are escaping!"

"Let them," he said, "everything's under control."

* * *

JUMPING THROUGH the hole, Tom crashed onto the cage with a loud thud, rocking it and nearly causing the others to fall off. "Whoa, watch it!" Dipper frowned and Tom shrugged.

"That was awesome!" Star laughed then gasped. "Who was that Grandmaster guy? He seemed like someone important."

"Okay, can somebody freaking tell me what's going on here!?" Wendy shouted in exasperation. "What is this Valar shit?"

Star laughed uneasily, tapping her fingers together and nudged Tom who sighed and stepped forward. "Look, there's a lot you don't know about me," he said and looked at his hand, "And a lot I don't know about myself, but know that I am on your side."

"Yeah, he may be a little creepy, but he's a good guy as am I." Star smiled.

Dipper, Wendy, and Alfonse deadpanned. "So, you're still telling us nothing, huh." They said.

"You betcha!" Star gave a thumbs-up with a silly grin.

"Well, whatever, can you just open a portal so we can get outta here?" Dipper said.

"Yeah ... I can't." Star bit her tongue. "I sorta used my other powers to do that and I don't really know how to use them – plus, I panicked."

"What do you mean 'other powers'!? Why can't you tell us anything?" Dipper grew angry.

"Well, you see the thing about apar–,"

"Mary?" Tom said abruptly.

"Wha?" Wendy turned to Tom and he stepped away from the others.

"Mary, where are you?" Tom looked around frantically.

"Uh ... Mary?" Star asked. "Why's he calling her? There's nobody here."

"You know her too?" Dipper asked.

"Well, yeah, she's just like him and – whoops!" Star covered her mouth and stepped back as Dipper scowled at her.

"Mary, calm down, what're you saying?" Tom asked

Wendy looked at Tom and shook her head. "I need different friends."

BACK IN GRAVITY FALLS, Mary and Mabel stood in the room the Norn Stone was kept in and Mary looked up while Mabel watched her in confusion.

"Tom, you have to get back here." Mary said.

Mabel sighed. "I could've gone to the Girl Scouts or joined the Science Club, but I had to go to my Grunkle's and get sucked into this endlessly confusing bullshit," She huffed then realized. "Huh I just cursed," Digging into her pocket; she drew out a toilet sticker with the words 'Potty Mouth' on it and stuck it on her mouth.

"Our energy's getting disrupted because of the distance; you have to find your way back here somehow." Mary said and energy shot out of her, causing her to fall to her knees.

"Mary!" Tom yelled from the prison.

"Tom, what's happening?" Dipper asked.

"Mary's in trouble without me - we have to get back quickly!" Tom said.

"Well, how're we gonna do that without a portal?" Wendy asked.

Tom turned away from the others, "Mary, try to concentrate your energy so I can spot you."

In the ship, Mary struggled to her feet. "I, I can't."

"Just try, I'll be there, I promise." Tom said from the prison. Stepping back, he held his hand out. "Step back." He said to Dipper and the others and channeled energy through his arm. "Mary, now!"

In the ship, Mabel ran toward Mary to help, but Mary held up her hand to stop her. Clutching the floor, Mary steeled herself and screamed, forcing white energy out of her and nearly blinding Mabel who shielded her eyes.

In the prison, white sparks formed in the air before Tom and he quickly shot red energy into it, creating a weak portal in mid-air. Grabbing it with his bare hands, he tore it open and turned to the others. "Let's go - it won't last long."

"How in …" Dipper tried to ask then huffed and ran into the portal, quickly followed by Alfonse.

Shaking her head, Wendy walked nonchalantly toward the gateway. "I'm gonna need a six-pack when I get back."

Tom watched Wendy step into the portal then raised his brow as Star simply stood where she was. "Star, let's go."

"No, I've got my own ride." Star said and swung her wand, opening a portal behind her.

"I thought you said you couldn't open a portal." Tom said.

"I just didn't want them to see my powers up close – that Dipper guy could've figured me out." Star said.

"So, you're not coming?" Tom asked.

"Do you want me to?" Star smirked.

"N-no." Tom cleared his throat and avoided eye contact.

"C'mon, it's okay to wanna hang with people." Star smiled. "Say 'hi' to Mary for me."

"Sure thing." Tom smiled back. "Say 'hi' to Marco for me too."

"I will," Star stepped into her portal. "Bye, cutie!"

Tom looked away and she laughed, her voice echoing as she disappeared. Smiling to himself, Tom stepped into his portal and it vanished.

Up above, the Grandmaster stood silently and smiled to himself.

* * *

STEPPING OUT of the portal, Tom looked around and saw the other excitedly chatting among themselves. Closing the portal, he turned and received a sudden tight hug from Mary. "Tom! I was so worried!"

"I know, I know, but I'm back now."

Mary pulled back and touched his face worriedly. "Don't do that again." She breathed heavily.

"I won't, c'mon." Tom chuckled and Mary hugged him again.

Dipper looked at Tom and Mary then turned to Mabel who complained to Wendy about being left behind. He then turned to Alfonse who was standing alone, away from the others. He went up to him. "Alfonse, I'm sorry about what happened it's my fault for not listening."

Alfonse sighed, a smile on his face. "You know, I don't think you really failed." He turned to him. "I'm home."

Dipper smiled and held his shoulder when Mabel suddenly yelled. "Guys, you heard it here first – beers on Wendy!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm not giving alcohol to minors." Wendy said quickly.

"Well, not if you can catch me first!" Mabel grinned and ran off.

Tom blinked and turned to Dipper. "She knows she's a minor too, right?" Tom asked and Dipper shrugged.

"Mabel!" Wendy yelled and chased her out of the room. The others followed, laughing amongst themselves.

The Norn Stone remained in the room however, its crack worsening, energy rising, the room shaking as a violent storm began to stir! … Until Dipper came back, grabbed it and put it in his pocket. "Guys, wait up!" He ran back out.

* * *

THE STARS and moons shone outside among the myriads of galaxies that looked like dots in the distance. Walking down the hall, the Grandmaster approached a large white table in the middle of a white room and took his seat. "Grandmaster, you've finally come." Eternity said.

"Yes, I had urgent business to attend to." The Grandmaster sat back.

"So, you've sensed it too." The In-Betweener frowned.

"More than sensed; I was in the very presence of the Dark Son and one of the Demi-Valar. Their strength grows." The Grandmaster explained, causing the others present to mumble in worry.

"This is grave indeed." The In-Betweener said.

"If they are roaming about, it means the Dark One's plans may work." Eternity said.

"Yes." The Grandmaster frowned. "And with Death gone solo again, we're vastly outmatched."

Eternity frowned and interlocked his fingers, his eyes tearing through the multiverse. "Then the fate of all realities is in danger."


	9. Marks

" **MARKS"**

THE SOUNDS of the night and creatures of the dark echoed in the forest, surrounding Wendy and the campers as they entered an opening. They were exhausted and breathless, the fatter ones among them – Mitch and Gideon – collapsing in a tired heap. "Man, I really gotta lose some weight," Gideon said and wiped sweat off his face, "Oh golly! My sweat's ruining my hair!"

"That's what you get for being fat, you fat bitch!" Chris, Wendy's brother, yelled at Mitch.

"Why, you mother -," Mitch, a fat guy clad in black, leader of Team Chicks Dig Giant Robots, rose up furiously.

"Alright, alright, enough you two," Wendy pulled them apart and sighed, "I admit, I kinda got lost back there, but we've finally found our campsite."

"Wait, why're we setting up camp away from camp, when we're at camp?" Mitch asked.

"You wanna walk all the way back!?" Wendy shouted.

"I'll just stand back here" Mitch stepped back nervously.

Wendy huffed. "I need a drink," She checked her flask, "And I finished it all."

"Are you sure you should be drinking in front of kids?" Mitch asked.

"Will you shut up!?" Wendy turned to the other campers. "We'll start our challenges tomorrow, for now, we'll rest here." Hearing this, the campers dropped their belongings in relief and Wendy drew out her clipboard. "Alright, now each team will have a tent for boys and a tent for girls and the captains can set them up wherever they want within reach of the campfire. Now, come get your supplies from these capsules." Wendy produced a dozen Capsule Corp. capsules from her pocket.

The captains lined up and received the capsules and when they were finished, Wendy did a quick head count. She squinted in confusion, "Wait, where're Tom and Mary?"

"Ooh, I forgot to mention – they teleported to San Fransokyo to visit Star." Dipper piped up from a tree nearby.

"Oh, okay, we'll see them when they're back," Wendy said nonchalantly.

"Wait, you mean we could leave camp if we wanted to?" Jerry, a short fat kid in a hoody, asked.

"Yeah, no one's stopping ya." Wendy shrugged. "'cept for Mr Poolcheck of course." She walked off and Jerry pouted.

"Okay, wait, is nobody gonna question the fact that we have an alien as a campmate," Mitch pointed at Alfonse who quickly covered his ears. "A camp manager who probably has a cursed axe and a kid with red demon powers?" Mitch looked around and the campers remained silent.

"It's Gravity Falls, dude," Peter, a slim guy in a blue shirt, said with a shrug.

The campers walked off and Mitch threw up his hands in frustration. Dipper, maneuvering the campmates, moved up to Pacifica. ""Okay, Pacifica, where're we gonna set up camp?"

"Pfft, why bother? You're down a teammate, so you've already lost the challenges." Sherry, Pacifica's cousin and head of Team Royalty, said with a smirk.

"Well, we don't need a full team to take down yours." Pacifica retorted.

"Really? With your leadership? You're so shitty your teammate had to teleport outta here just to avoid your incompetent ass." Sherry chuckled.

"Well, look here, Sherry." Pacifica started arguing with her.

Dipper huffed as the two girls bickered and saw the supplies capsule in Pacifica's hand. "I'll just take that." He swiped it from her and went off, seeing them arguing. He saw Jerry nearby and called to him. "Hey, Jerry! C'mon, let's set up camp!"

"No! I can't stay here – I heard something in the bushes." Jerry said frantically.

Shaking his head, Dipper walked away.

* * *

MOVING PAST a tree, Dipper went up to a lake glistening in the moonlight that was a just a few meters away from camp. Looking back, he saw Wendy setting up her tent near the campfire and he smiled to himself as he'd found the perfect spot so he'd keep close to her. However, he began to feel conflict and looked at his supplies capsule with a frown.

He quickly shook himself out of it and moved to start setting up a tent when he heard rustling in the bushes and turned to see Mabel gorging down a bag of marshmallows. "Mabel?"

"Miffer?" Mabel asked with her mouth full.

"What're you doing here?" Dipper moved up to her.

"What're _you_ doing here? I thought I was alone." Mabel pushed her bag aside.

"Are those marshmallows?"

"No!" Mabel said quickly.

"Mabel, you know mum told you not to have snacks past 9."

"Well, mum's not here!"

"Mabel, you have a problem."

"I do not!" Mabel yelled and reached for a marshmallow, only to bite Waddles in the ear. "Oh no, Waddles, I'm sorry!" Mabel called out and the swine ran off squealing. Looking to Dipper, she sighed in defeat. "Okay, maybe I do have a problem." She stuffed the packet in her pocket. "What's going on with you though? You seemed worried."

"Me? Pfft, nah," Dipper turned away.

"You were also looking at something." She said and turned, seeing Wendy at the campfire. "Really, dude?"

He sighed. "Okay, I admit it - I'm still hung up over Wendy."

"How? It's been over a year." Mabel raised her brow.

"I don't know," He sat on a rock, "I've tried avoiding her and I've focused on my work, but … I guess I'm still thinking about her subconsciously. I'm such an idiot."

"Well, can't argue with ya there." Mabel laughed, getting a frown from Dipper, "Look, you can't really forget about her when she's always around you anyway and why should you? You're great friends! Why not focus on that?"

Dipper's eyes lit up. "Yeah, you're right!"

"Of course I am," She scoffed, "And you could even take part in camp once in a while - you have spent most of your time in your room. Besides, how're you gonna get any girls when you're eyes are so baggy anyway?"

"I knew it wasn't some sorta rash," He scratched his face.

"See? You need to relax a little." Mabel sat back with a smile.

"Yeah, you have a point." Dipper looked at his capsule then smiled, "Hey, ya wanna help me set up camp?"

"Aren't we on separate teams?" She raised her brow.

"Yeah, I know, but I wanna to spend time with you for a change - we haven't hung out at all since camp started."

Mabel held back a smile, "Alright, but only 'cuz you pleaded."

"Great, let's get started," Dipper moved to open the capsule, then suddenly stopped. "Wait a second ... do ya hear that?"

"What do you mean?" She looked around.

"It's silent all of a sudden." Dipper stood up and looked to where Wendy was. There was a massive bush where the camp should've been! "What the!?"

"Where'd the camp go?" Mabel shot up. Looking up in horror, she rushed to Dipper's side and grew tense as the woodland creatures made frenzied noises.

* * *

PACIFICA AND Sherry lashed at each other and screamed furiously as they tried to rip each other's hair off. Groaning in exasperation, Wendy came up to them. "Guys, guys, will you quit it already!" She pushed them apart. "Damn, what's up with you campers?"

Pacifica straightened her clothes and cast a cold glare at Sherry. Receiving one in return, the blonde turned and became confused. "Wait, where's Dipper?"

"Wasn't he there right next to you?" Sherry put a hand on her hip.

"Fair Maiden! Fair maiden!" Alfonse yelled frantically as he ran up to her.

"Fair what?" Wendy raised her brow.

"Right, I'm sorry – Wendy! The campers have disappeared!" Alfonse panted

"What?"

"I lost them!" Alfonse continued, "I was walking with my teammates and they were failing to keep up. I just turned around and they were gone!"

"What do you mean they were gone?" Wendy frowned.

"They disappeared – I couldn't find them anywhere."

The campmates began to panic upon hearing this and Wendy looked around the camp, realizing that only Team Sherry, Alfonse, Pacifica and Jerry were present. Moving up to her tent, she took her axe from a stump and turned to the others. "Get your torches and supplies and come with me. We're gonna find our friends."

* * *

DIPPER AND Mabel walked carefully through the forest, their eyes to the sky and the trees around as they heard animals echo in an unnerving cacophony. "What do you think is going on?" Mabel said with a whisper, her hands wrapped tightly around Dipper's arm.

"I don't know. I thought it was a spell, but I can't detect anything." Dipper frowned, trying desperately to hide his own fear.

"Well, what do we do now?" She looked into his eyes.

"We'll just have to make our way back to camp somehow," He said quickly and drew out his capsule, "If we ration our supplies, we should have enough for a day or two."

"And what if we're lost for longer than that?"

Dipper's brows furrowed as he tried to think. He had no answer.

The bushes up ahead rustled and out of them came Luke, a tall blue-clad boy from Team Gurren, who looked around and repeatedly flickered his lighter. He looked around, ignoring Dipper and Mabel who frowned as they saw him. "Luke?" Dipper asked.

Luke turned to them. "Huh? How'd you get here? I thought I was far from camp?"

"Far? What're you doing here?" Dipper moved up to him.

"I just having some fun." Luke grinned and flicked his lighter on and off.

Dipper looked at the flames apprehensively, "You've really gotta stop playing with fire."

"They all say that, but my home is in the ember," Luke looked at his lighter, forgetting about the world around him. He chuckled and drew himself out of it. "What're you guys doing here though?"

"We got lost - we were near camp, but it suddenly disappeared." Mabel explained.

"Puzzling." Luke stroked his chin. "You figured out the spell?"

"Huh?" Mabel's brow curved.

"It's obviously a spell, isn't it?" Luke asked.

"Well, kinda thought we were the only ones who knew about magic." Mabel blinked.

"You're not the only ones who were here last summer." Luke smiled, causing the twins to exchange a look of confusion. "C'mon, let's figure out what's going on here then get you back to camp - I've got things I wanna burn." He walked off.

The twins remained and watched the boy move further away. They hesitantly followed.

The trio traversed the dark, harrowing forest and felt the noises lessen as they got deeper towards a thicket of trees. Mabel's attention shifted as they went on, her eyes fixed on Luke as he flicked his lighter on and off. "I'm not sure we should be following this guy - he's creeping me out." She said to Dipper.

"Yeah, but he's a camper too - we can trust him ... I think."

"I can hear you, y'know?" Luke glanced at them then chuckled. "Don't worry - you shouldn't trust me." He smiled and drew out a bottle of kerosene, pouring it on a nearby bush. "Nobody should."

"Whoa, dude!" Dipper backed up.

Luke grinned, "Relax, it'll only hurt ya," He laughed and tossed the bottle away. "I'm just playing with you."

Dipper watched boy before him and walked on. "Y'now, we'll just find our own way back."

"C'mon, can't ya take a joke?" Luke followed him when the animals began a ruckus again. "It was coming from the woods. Phew, almost scared me."

Dipper began to walk on. "Well, let's not find out what it –,"

The animals suddenly stopped, deathly silence enveloping the forest and arresting the three as they looked around in fear once again. Sounds of water dripping came from their right and from beneath a bush came a thin rim of water that spread toward them. The water rose, almost as if a flood was coming and it began to morph, its contour turning into that of a skinny face-less woman. The creature's head rocked sickeningly and rose up abruptly, revealing dark eyes that parted its face.

"Uh, what is that?" Mabel slowly stepped back.

"I've never seen it before," Dipper tried not to panic.

"Well, that's not good!" Mabel yelled and the creature screeched, interrupting her.

The creature breathed out gratingly, causing bubbles to slowly form in its mouth. The bubbles travelled up to its nape and spread across its back, slowly ripping away from its body. The hot bubbles floated above it and the monster eyed Dipper, Luke and Mabel who stood apprehensive as they wondered what it'd do. The beast screamed and sent the bubbles their way!

"Run!" Dipper yelled and scampered off with Mabel who barely stepped away from a bubble that tore right through a tree.

Tearing through the leaves and grazing their skin against the thorns, the three raced frantically into the forest, desperate to avoid the creature. Looking back, Mabel cried out to Dipper, "What does it want?!"

"I dunno! Just keep moving!" He yelled back and leaped through a thicket of roses, collapsing on the ground on the other side.

He rose up, holding his scarred hand with a hiss and Mabel quickly pulled him by the hand. "Dipper, c'mon!"

Luke zoomed right past them and saw a little cabin up ahead. "Let's hide in there!"

"No, that's a bad idea – we don't know what's there waiting for us!" Dipper said.

"Well, we can't stay out here with that!" Mabel frowned.

"Lemme try something." Dipper fished out Journal Number 4, ready to use a spell, but he writhed and dropped it on the ground. Steam rose from the book. "What?"

"Dipper!" Mabel called from the cabin door.

Dipper frowned and looked at his hand as it stung. With a huff, he relinquished, "Fine, let's get in." He grabbed the book and ran into the cabin with the others.

The water creature phased through the bushes and came into the clearing, its cold eyes scoping the area. With a growl, it glided across the floor and circled the cabin, looking for the three.

* * *

WENDY STOOD at the top of a hill and looked out at the forest below, seeing nothing beyond the trees. Sighing, she turned to the others, "You see anything?"

"No, just more forest." Sherry answered.

"There're no foot tracks we could find either," Alfonse walked up to Wendy, "We should look elsewhere."

"But it's been hours, maybe we should call it a day." Sherry said.

"No, we're not leaving anyone behind." Wendy returned to the others, "Guess we'll have to split up."

"Y'know, this'd be so much easier if we had phones with us." Sherry crossed her arms.

"Well, I'm not the dumbass who arranged this camp." Wendy shrugged and addressed the others, "Okay, Sherry, Pete, Jerry, you're with me, Gideon, Alfonse, Pacifica you –,"

"Wendy, look out!" Alfonse cried.

A water creature leapt out of the bushes and clasped onto Wendy with its clawed hands, its mouth open wide and ready to bite her neck. Alfonse reacted swiftly and struck the creature with his sword knocking it down and leaving it writhing. He looked at his blade and saw that it emitted a blue glow, making him unnerved.

"What in heaven's name is that?" Gideon shrieked.

"It's an alien! I knew it!" Jerry yelled.

"No, it's a spirit." Alfonse clenched his sword, "An ancient one – the sword senses it."

"Well, ancient or not, if it attacked the others, I'll make it history." Wendy drew out her axe.

"Oh, I hate this camp!" Jerry cried.

The creature retaliated and lunged wildly at them, forcing Alfonse to try and block it with his sword. The creature broke apart, but quickly washed over him, leaving him screaming in pain as he was coated in scalding hot water. The monster kicked him aside with its frozen leg and Wendy hacked it with her axe.

"Gotcha!" Wendy grinned, but struggled to pull her axe out of it.

Ice snaked its way over the axe and the creature slowly froze solid, turning its head gratingly toward her. With a jagged arm, the creature slashed Wendy's forearm and pinned her down, going for the killing blow. Alfonse came to her rescue, firing a desperate energy arrow while he was on the ground that turned the spirit into vapor.

"Wendy!" Pacifica cried in a panic as she came to her side.

Sherry came to Alfonse's side as he balanced himself against a tree and she helped him stand. "Are you okay?" She held his arm, caressing the muscular tone absentmindedly. "Mmm, you're a strong one aren't you?" She said with a small smile, but quickly turned her attention to the others. "Alright, guys, we need to get outta here quick before that thing gets up again."

"She's right, we should move," Alfonse said, standing alone without her aid.

"Are you gonna stand on your own?" Sherry raised her brow.

"I'll be fine." Alfonse answered.

With a nod, she turned to the others, "Okay, follow me."

Sherry walked on with the others, leaving Pacifica who stood in her place, gripped with worry. She began to doubt herself as time had gone by, as Sherry was easily taking control while she lost hope of ever recovering her team.

"Don't lag behind, Pacifica." Sherry's sharp voice came, drawing her out of her thoughts.

* * *

THE BOYS grunted as they lifted the heavy log, the weight causing Dipper's jelly arms to twitch with pain as they placed it upon a crudely assembled pile of chairs and cupboards before the door of the cabin.

Dipper hissed as he stepped away, clasping his newly bandaged arm and drawing Mabel's attention. "Dipper, are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine," He quickly nodded and he looked at the room around them, "What is this place anyway?"

With their initial panic waning, the three children took in the new world around them, the labyrinthine maze of books, statues, totems and artifacts bringing a grand sense of wonder for Dipper. Mabel however was overwhelmed with disgust, the creaking, plant infested wood, cobwebs and crawling insects making her want to jump out of her skin.

"Looks like an old archeologist's bat cave." Luke said.

"Why'd this be in the middle of the forest?" Mabel asked.

Dipper's mind was elsewhere as his eyes moved over the floor, stopping at a large book that lay on the ground nearby. "Whoa!" Dipper ran toward the book and picked it up. "The Book of Vshanti!?"

"What's that?" Luke came to his side.

"It's a book I read about while doing research." Dipper said without looking at him, his attention being at the books around him. "I gotta find more in here."

Skimming through the book, Dipper squeezed through the mass before him, not noticing Mabel's worry as she watched him and Luke move deeper into the pile of books. As he read, Dipper waved the Grimoire over the book, scanning page after page as he went through.

"There're several spells in this book!" He said excitedly. "Imagine what I could do if I learned all of them!"

"Dipper, I think we shouldn't be here." Mabel finally said.

"Why shouldn't we? There's a lot of cool stuff in here!" Luke grinned, only making her more uncomfortable.

"Wait, you don't just wanna burn them?" Dipper said in amused confusion.

"I'm interested in magic too." Luke answered.

"That's awesome!" Dipper said, as if forgetting how Luke had behaved earlier.

Luke rose up while they talked and as if he was being led, he moved up to a large brown book lying atop a cracked old chest. Picking it up, he turned to Dipper. "Let's check it out."

"Why?"

"I dunno, it just seems interesting." Luke eyed the book hungrily.

Dipper came up to him and took a look at the book for himself. Wiping the dust off the cover, he looked at the embroidery of the cover, seeing a golden man edged into a pattern of golden stars.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna look for a way outta here." Mabel said, failing to get her brother's attention. With a sigh, she walked on.

* * *

SHERRY WATCHED as the campers moved around the clearing they'd found, turning to Gideon and Charlie who helped set Wendy down by a tree. Making sure the creature hadn't followed them, she walked to the others. "Okay, we should be safe here."

"Thanks you guys, but you really shouldn't do this; I'll be fine." Wendy said, rubbing her shoulder.

"No, Wendy, you'll need to recover," Alfonse said softly, "Don't worry, we'll protect you."

"Thanks, Alfonse." Wendy said, withholding a smile.

"Let me tend to your wound." Alfonse reached for her gashed arm.

Looking away from the two, Sherry addressed the campers present, "Alright, guys, we'll have to set up camp temporarily till Wendy can move again," She turned to her teammates, "Charlie, I need you to hunt some wood - find as much wood as you can and I'll give you a prize."

"I'm on it, boss!" Charlie said with a chipper salute, quickly running off after.

"She's an idiot." Sherry shook her head and turned to Peter, "Peter, set up camp."

"Pfft, as if." He scoffed.

"Please, for me," Sherry cooed, holding his face gently.

Peter looked around and mumbled as he headed out. "I'd have given you the wood instead, but okay."

"Gideon, keep watch and alert us if the spirits come near," Sherry commanded, "You can even do a spell or whatever."

"Ooh, you won't be disappointed," Gideon replied with a wide grin and with that, the campers were off.

Pacifica remained stunned as she watched the campers move about, seamlessly following Sherry's instructions as she went her way. "How did she ..."

"Pacifica, get moving and do something instead of standing there!" Sherry yelled, "Ugh, you're so useless!" She walked on, then saw Jerry – Pacifica's teammate – cowering near a tree, "You too, Jerry!"

Pacifica looked for a retort, but failed, deciding to join the others in setting up the camp.

* * *

HAVING SCANNED the book with the golden cover, Dipper scrolled through the Grimoire's screen to see what it'd deciphered. However, all he got back were the symbols exactly as they were in the book. "What?" He frowned in confusion.

"What is it?" Luke came to him.

"The Grimoire can't decipher anything in the book." Dipper said them looked back at the device's screen. "This shouldn't be possible. The Grimoire's Elvan; their understanding of magic should be better than ours."

Watching Dipper work his machine, Mabel turned to the outside and looked out for the creature that'd chased them. It was nowhere in sight. "I don't like this," She said to herself and turned to Dipper, "What should we do, Dipper?"

"Mabel, c'mere!" Dipper said quickly, not listening to her.

"What is it?" She went to him.

"We found this book that I've tried to scan with the Grimoire and it failed to translate most of it, except for this." Dipper held the Grimoire up to her, showing a large complicated magic circle on its interface.

"What is that?" Mabel's brow curved.

"It's a magical seal!" He said excitedly, "The Grimoire's uncovered a passage talking about a seal meant to keep monsters out of Gravity Falls!"

"There was a seal?" Mabel frowned. "But how come monsters came through during Weirdmageddon?"

"I don't know." Dipper looked at the Grimoire, "But Bill Cipher was unable to leave Gravity Falls even when he got his power, so maybe it's still there."

"So the barrier chooses who to keep out?"

"Hmm, I don't know," Dipper tried to think, "Lemme try to read some of these books here."

"Wait, Dipper, stop!" Mabel quickly remembered, "We need to get outta here."

"Why?"

"Um, hello, a water creature outside was trying to kill us! It could be back any minute – we need to escape while we can." Mabel said.

"But, this is important, Mabel."

"There's more out there than magic, Dipper!" Mabel grew angry, "Who knows if the others are looking for us right now and they've found that thing – we need to get back."

Dipper stopped and processed what she said, but Luke interrupted his thoughts, "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm gonna find out more about this place." He got up and walked, leaving Dipper torn on what to decide.

Luke went up to a shelf and looked for a book, prompting Dipper to follow him. "Luke, I think we should get outta here – we can come back here later."

Luke eyed Dipper hesitantly then gave a reluctant sigh, "Alright, guess you have a point. Let's make sure the coast's clear before we try to make a move."

"Right." Dipper nodded and headed to a window with him, moving past Mabel who gave Luke a concerned look.

They headed into the doorway, but were immediately knocked down a giant white crab-like claw that burst through the wall. Pushing Dipper off his feet, the appendage went for Luke and dragged him into the hole in the wall.

"Luke!" Dipper cried as he and Mabel grabbed Luke's arms and wrestled with the claw.

Their feet grazed against the wooden floor, breaking up the tiles as they were overwhelmed by the force of the claw. Luke screamed in pain as he was pulled in two, his eyes filled with panic as he saw the twin's grip on him slipping. "You gotta help me!"

"We will! Just hang on!" Dipper grunted as he held to the brunette's wrist.

The twins pulled Luke back into the room, getting him out of the wall bit by bit, but he slipped through their hands, disappearing into the dark.

Dipper and Mabel looked at each other in shock, unsure of what to do as they heard nothing but the creaking of wood hanging from the hole. Suddenly, the wall exploded to bits and out of the carnage slithered a pallid, hulking creature with red eyes and swollen crab arms.

"You!" Dipper frowned.

"Shit!" Mabel stepped back.

"You thought you could escape me, Dipper, but no more!" The creature screeched.

Dipper opened the journal, but was caught off guard by the alien who speedily smacked him and Mabel with its massive right arm. The twins were flung through the air and crashed through the hardwood wall, ending up slamming on the dirt outside in a pile of rubble.

Hissing at the glass slitting his fingers, Dipper tried to pick himself up, writhing in pain as he came to his knees. He felt a pang at his stomach and looked down to see the blood from the wound he sustained in Mermantropolis drip down his shirt.

He felt lightheaded, but he tried to fight it, getting a foot up when he felt his left leg go numb. He turned and grimaced as splinters jutted out of the newly healed limb. He looked onward and saw Mabel lay limp a few feet from him. Even if he'd fall apart, he had to protect her.

Pressing against the ground, he moved his weight to his good leg when a sudden cold wafted through his bones. He looked around and saw glowing eyes flicker in the forest, soon followed by four water spirits who stalked out of the forest. He was surrounded.

Mabel slowly came to, coddling her stinging arm, and she looked up to see the spirits around her. "Dipper!" She said in a panic, scrambling to his side as they drew closer and closer.

With loud, commanding steps, the alien came out of the house, calling attention to itself as its head grazed against the roof of the porch. "There's nowhere to run, boy." He said, the pincers on his mouth snapping repeatedly.

"Dipper, cast a spell or something!" Mabel pulled at Dipper's shirt in a panic.

"Mabel, I ..." Dipper exhaled shakily, making Mabel realize how beaten he was.

Terror gripped Mabel as she saw her brother and she looked to the creatures around her, unable to make her body move. The monsters came to her, but suddenly turned to the alien who they quickly charged at.

"What the?" The alien frowned and he was immediately swarmed by the water spirits.

Seeing this, Mabel pulled herself up, her hands fumbling clumsily as she tried to help Dipper up. "C'mon, let's get outta here!" Holding his heavy body, Mabel ran towards the woods.

* * *

ALFONSE WRAPPED the bandage over Wendy's wound slowly, bringing the fabric to a neat knot as he fastened it gently. "There, how does it feel?" He said, unintentionally softening his tone as he looked to her.

"I-It's fine." Wendy nodded, returning the gaze as she saw into his hazel eyes. "It feels good …"

Wendy lingered in the moment, failing to notice Sherry who came up to them. "So, Wendy, are you okay now? You think we can get moving?"

"Yeah, I think so." Wendy said absentmindedly.

"Let me just stitch the cut on your back." Alfonse reached for the first aid kit nearby.

"No, no, it's fine," Wendy shot up quickly, adjusting her clothes and clearing her throat. "I'm good, I'm good."

Sherry nodded and turned to the others, "Alright guys, let's get –," A loud shriek interrupted her, soon followed by a streak of water that spread over the grass. "You've gotta be kidding me." Sherry frowned and she looked up to see the water spirit notice them. "You bitch!"

"C'mon, we've gotta get outta here!" Wendy said, reaching for her axe when a frozen hand shot through the bark, pulling her toward it. Another limb broke through and reached for her neck, revealing itself to be another water spirit. "Get off of me!" Wendy said, trying to fight back.

Alfonse came to her aid and cut the creature's arms off cleanly, freeing Wendy from its grasp. "Are you alright?" He asked, grabbing her by the arm.

Wendy hesitated as she looked at him. "Yeah, I'm ..." She looked for words when a low bubbling drew her attention. She turned stiffly as a chill met her and she saw several water spirits rising from the bushes behind her.

"Run!" Pacifica cried, causing the campers to scamper away as the monsters made chase.

* * *

MABEL DRAGGED her feet against the sand, trying carefully not to hurt Dipper while trying to keep up the pace. Dipper groaned in pain and she shushed him, looking behind her, "I'm sorry, Dipper," She huffed, "It doesn't seem like they're chasing us though."

"No, they're coming – ah!" Dipper clasped his stomach and felt the blood soak his shirt.

"Dipper?"

Dipper gritted his teeth and turned to her, "We've gotta keep moving."

"But you're hurt," Mabel tried to argue.

"Well, I'll be more than that if we –,"

A tree came crashing down behind her, scaring Mabel who dropped Dipper by accident. "Dipper!" She ran to him, but stopped as she saw a water spirit near the falling tree. Frozen in place, she tried to think of what to do next, assessing the distance between her and her brother.

Seeing him grovel in pain, Mabel sifted her mind then remembered the necklace she wore. Grabbing hold, she turned to the monster, "Here goes nothing!" She raised her right arm and swung it to the left, causing the fallen tree to move and slam into the water spirit.

Mabel panted, but quickly pulled herself together, lifting her hand up and throwing it down, bringing several trees down on their path, blocking it off. Nearly falling from exhaustion, Mabel dragged herself toward Dipper and picked him up again, carrying along once more.

* * *

WENDY AND the campers raced through the woods as trees came crashing down behind them, each being cut down by water spirits who drew closer to them. Alfonse was at the back, taking on monsters that got too close, turning his weapon into a sword and bow.

Slashing a creature away, he turned to the others, "Try to find shelter; I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

A water spirit came from his right, catching him off guard and freezing him over, knocking him down with a vicious claw to his chest. "Alfonse!" Pacifica ran to him, trying to help him up hastily.

The monster turned its attention to her and she raised her arms instinctively to defend herself, only to be shocked as the creature phased through her. She blinked in surprise and saw her ring glowing brightly. Realizing that it still worked, she quickly grabbed Alfonse and ran to the others.

"Pacifica, over here!" Sherry called from some bushes nearby.

Pacifica came to her and Sherry let her pass, revealing a cave hidden behind the leaves where the other campers were. Making sure they weren't followed, Sherry came into the cave. "By the way, Pacifica, I wasn't trying to protect you or anything," She said, "It was for that hot pointy-eared guy."

Pacifica frowned at her and was immediately caught off by Jerry's screaming, "We're gonna die, we're gonna die!"

"No, we're gonna find a way outta here." Pacifica said.

"But how? We're surrounded and we can't fight back cuz Wendy and Alfonse are injured." Sherry said.

The campers chattered in a panic and Wendy watched them, trying to think of a way to protect them. As their voices rose, she heard something and quickly raised her hand, "Wait, shh!"

The campers went silent and listened, hearing grass shifting and twigs snapping outside. The deathly quiet was soon pierced by the dripping of water, one that grew louder and louder until it was stopped by a loud screech that made the campers scream loudly.

"Guys, be quiet or they'll find us!" Wendy said.

The cave begun to rumble and the roots from the rocks above began to sink in, breaking them apart. The leaves at the mouth of the cave begun to shuffle and they were pulled back by a large wooden hand that exposed the water spirits that were outside.

The campers tried desperately to keep quiet, unsure of what to do next when a large, gnarled old wooden face with hollow worm-filled eyes slowly poked its way into the cave.

"Oh God!" Jerry started to cry.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Gideon cursed angrily, "Why didn't I bring my book with me!?"

Wendy failed to keep the campers at bay as they screamed and she herself was lost and immobilized by fear. Pacifica scrambled on the ground as the wooden face drew closer to her when the light of a burning torch caught her eye. She quickly picked it and held it a the creature, which suddenly stopped in its tracks.

Shocked, but relieved, Pacifica rose up and looked at the monster, gaining confidence as it backed away from the flames. With one swipe, she tossed the fire at the tree, causing tit o violently burst into flames.

The tree collapsed and fell back into the woods, causing fire to spread on the grass and set the water spirits afire as well.

The campers watched in confused awe as the creatures burned, some of them scampering off and fleeing the area. Pacifica panted, disbelief taking hold as she caught her breath. She wiped sweat off her brow when a light from her hand nearly blinded her.

"Huh?" She looked at her hand and gasped as marks of a constellation glowed on her palm.

* * *

MABEL AND Dipper hid behind a tree, the older girl wrapping herself over her brother in terror as he wheezed in pain. She was at a loss, unable to help her brother move further and unsure of where to go.

Tears flowed down her cheeks and she breathed shakily, "I'm sorry, Dipper, I'm sorry ... I can't do anything to stop them." She held him tightly, awaiting their demise.

The four water spirits had finally caught up with them, but suddenly rose up in flames and ran off, spreading the fire onto trees that scampered off as well. Mabel looked up as she heard the ruckus and she watched in confusion as the forest before her rose up in flames.

A thick haze formed and Mabel slowly rose up, trying to look through the veil of smoke as the creatures and trees burned down. She squinted as she looked, when voices came from the smoke.

"What happened?" Mitch's voice came.

"This is what happens when we follow your fatass!" Chris yelled nearby.

The smoke began to clear and Mabel saw the campers all around her, each sharing looks of confusion as trees started disappearing around them.

"Dipper!" Pacifica called.

"Guys!" Wendy said in surprise and the campers came together, chattering in excitement and confusion.

Pacifica came to Mabel and saw Dipper laying limp in her arms, " What happened?"

"He was attacked by some water creatures – we have to help him quickly!"

Wendy counted the campers as they moved around and she raised her brow. "Where'd you guys go? How'd you get back here?"

"They were protected by me!" Lily's booming voice called to them, drawing their attention to a clearing where she stood in a flowing cape with a cowgirl hat and a luchador mask. "The Legendary Luchador Desparado Lily protected them," She said with a grin, "You're welcome!"

The campers looked at her, puzzled, and Mitch shook his head, "Yeah, I don't wanna talk about what happened."

Moving through the crowd of panicked children, Wendy came before them and addressed them, "Alright, guys, it's been a long and terrible night, and since we're all back together, why don't we get back to camp?"

The campers chattered excitedly and followed Wendy who led them through the woods. Moving past her teammates, Sherry came to Pacifica who was helping Mabel carry Dipper along, "Hey, Pacifica."

"Look, Sherry, I don't have time to argue with you."

"No, no, I," Sherry sighed, "I wanted to thank you for what you did earlier; you saved us."

Pacifica blinked. "Oh … well, it wasn't a big deal really." She chuckled.

"Well, it was." Sherry smiled and walked off, "Still doesn't mean you're not an incompetent bitch."

Pacifica became upset, but chose to toss aside her statement, returning to Dipper's aid.

The campers made their way out of the forest, making their way to camp as the sun began to rise. Out of the bushes however came Luke who was battered and bruised who saw them walking on. Picking himself up, he followed them.


	10. Luke

**LUKE**

FOOTSTEPS AND voices swept through the mess hall as the campmates vacated after breakfast, leaving plates and chairs splayed all over. Dipper lay back against his chair, his body covered in stiches and his leg heavily bandaged, sitting with Wendy, Pacifica, Alfonse and Mabel who were stooped over lazily.

"I never wanna camp again." Mabel said with her face on the table.

"Yeah, it's too bad we're stuck with this shit." Wendy groaned.

"But, it's not so bad - there's only a month left." Alfonse said and the others moaned.

"I can't feel anything." Dipper creaked his neck. "Nothing but pain and aching."

Mabel raised her head lazily, half her face plastered with cereal. "What even caused that stuff to happen yesterday?" Waddles climbed on Mabel and licked her cheek frantically, tickling her.

"Yeah, I mean, haven't we been to that part of the forest before?" Wendy asked.

"Maybe it's because it was at night." Alfonse said.

"Still, the forest coming alive is completely new for us." Mabel sifted her mind, trying to ignore Waddles licking her. "There's something –," She laughed. "C'mere you!" She lifted the swine and nuzzled him fondly.

"There was something weirdly eerie about the whole thing." Wendy said. "I've dealt with magic before, but nothing like this."

The guys began to discuss amongst themselves, but Pacifica sunk back into her chair and became silent. She looked at her palm, at the big dipper that'd appeared on it the previous night and pondered on what it meant. With a sigh, she broke the chatter, "Hey guys?" the others turned to her, "Last night after I burned down the entrance of the cave, I saw this on my hand." She showed them the tattoo.

"Whoa, it's Dipper's birthmark!" Mabel laughed.

"Wait, wait, wait," Wendy quickly removed Dipper's hat and pulled back his hair. His mark was an exact match. "Whoa …"

"Dipper and Pacifica, Pacifica and Dipper, Dipper and – wait, that can't be right." Mabel raised her brow. "Can it?"

"Why do you have my birthmark on your hand?" Dipper shot up in surprise.

"I don't know, it just appeared and I can't wash it off!" Pacifica rubbed her hand frantically.

"So, it means you're connected somehow." Wendy squinted. "But how? You're not related, are you?"

"Pfft, as if I'd be related to Little Miss Candygirl Ditz." Pacifica scoffed.

"I'm not obsessed with candy!" Mabel yelled and gorged down a packet of chocolate.

Alfonse stared intently at Pacifica and quickly stood and grabbed her hand. "Hey, what're you doing?" Pacifica frowned.

Alfonse studied the tattoo carefully. "Hmm …" He turned to Dipper. "Could you show me the book you said you found yesterday?"

"Well, I scanned it in, so it's in here." Dipper produced the Grimoire and tossed it to him.

Scrolling through the pages, Alfonse frowned. "We have to find the original book, now!"

* * *

TOM COVERED his ears from the loud music as he stepped through the portal, stepped aside to make sure he didn't hit his bed. "Hey, Tom, the party's not over yet!" Star yelled from the other side, throwing coins at him. "Whoo, dance pretty boy!"

"I'm not doing that!" Tom yelled and shut the portal abruptly, sighing heavily and tossing himself onto his bed.

He looked around the room and saw that Dipper and Jerry weren't there, giving him enough room to be by himself for a while. He'd partied for hours with Mary, Star and Marco's classmates and it was fun until someone gave Star one too many candy bars. He wondered how bad it'd be if she were actually drunk.

Turning over, he stretched out and prepared to doze off, only to realize that it was midmorning. With a tired groan, he pushed himself out of bed and dragged himself out of the dorm. There was no reason for him to slip back into his old habits and miss an entire day again.

Trudging across the main campgrounds, Tom went into the mess hall and grabbed himself a bowl of cereal, immediately getting out and munching sluggishly on his way back to his room. He sniffled as he tried to remain awake and nearly made it into his room when something caught his eye.

A little ways to his left, Luke, a member of Team Gurren, was walking out of Team Chick Dig Giant Robots' cabin. Eyeing the brunette as he slithered towards his own dorm, Tom quickly moved toward the dorm and barged into the room he'd been in.

The room was messy, the floor covered in anime magazines and videogame covers, and the walls with poorly draped wallpapers. Tom raised his brow as he wondered what Luke was doing and he quickly stepped out only to bump into a Team Gurren member, Patrick Plump.

The boy was tall and fat with a mean look that would intimidate a boy Tom's height. "What're you doing here?" Patrick asked with a scowl.

"Sorry, man, just got a little lost." Tom ate his cereal lazily.

"Nah, sorry ain't gonna cut it pal." Patrick clenched his fist. The boy moved his arms to his side and Tom tensed up, ready to defend himself as he thrust his palms forth and yelled. "Kamehameha!" Tom raised his brow and Patrick blinked awkwardly. "Kamehameha! … Why isn't it working? I thought I summoned enough chi –,"

"Whatever, man," Tom walked off, leaving the boy mumbling to himself as he returned to his cereal.

Stepping into the main grounds, Tom headed towards his dorm when he suddenly felt a rush down his spine. He breathed heavily and red static ran up his arm. He looked onward and saw Luke trying to enter Team Royalty's dorm. He had to follow him.

* * *

DIPPER, MABEL, Wendy, Pacifica, and Alfonse made their way through the forest, the sun trailing a path for them through the collage of green before them. Dipper stumbled as he walked and Mabel quickly came to his side. "Are you sure you should be out here?" She asked.

"No, I'll be fine," Dipper winced, "This's important." He turned to Alfonse. "Why do you want to see the book?"

"I couldn't clearly remember when I first saw it, but now I do," Alfonse said, "That symbol is connected to the Wizard Merlin."

"Whoa, Merlin?" Dipper raised his brow.

"Who's Merlin?" Pacifica asked and the others turned to her in shock. "What?"

"He's only the greatest wizard ever!" Mabel grinned.

"I thought he was just a legend though," Wendy shrugged, "Guess there's a lot more real than I thought."

"How do you know it's connected to Merlin?" Dipper asked.

"When my captain was first sent to earth, it was on a cross-dimensional crusade assigned to several beings by King Odin of Asgard," Alfonse began, "During that time, there were signs of a convergence, the alignment of the planetary bodies across the world tree, Yggdrasil, but that was one like no other. Unlike a usual alignment, that one was going to cause planets to crash into each other."

"Convergence?" Dipper sifted his mind.

"Yes." Alfonse continued. "In order to prevent the calamity, Odin sent several voyagers from the nine realms to travel the multiverse and seal off ley-lines on different planets. That is how I ended up on earth."

"Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" Mabel asked.

"We vowed not to share this information with the planets we visited or we'd create chaos." Alfonse explained.

"But what does this have to do with Merlin?" Wendy asked.

"When our team arrived in this valley – which is now Gravity Falls – we were unable to stop the ley-line's power and the convergence was imminent, that was until we came across Merlin himself." Alfonse said, "He was there before we arrived and created a seal across this area to stop the dimensional tear. With his power, he stopped the convergence from happening." He turned to Dipper. "That book you found had to have been from Merlin's library and if you were able to find it despite his defenses, then something must be interfering with his magic. If the seal around Gravity Falls is destroyed, the multiverse will perish."

* * *

TOM POPPED his head behind a wall, his eyes squinted thin as he watched Luke walk off the campgrounds. He watched the brunette as he looked around and he slowly followed him, munching quietly on a spoonful of cereal.

Luke went deeper into the forest, slowly reducing Tom's means of hiding and forcing him to hide in the bushes. Luke looked around once more and flicked his lighter for good luck, crouching down and rubbing his hand on the ground. Tom watched Luke intently as he ran his hand across the dirt and out of thin air; a magic circle began to appear.

Tom jerked back and moved aside as he saw the circle spread past him and further out of the woods. Tom watched in shock as the circle continued its arc and it finally stopped, covering the entire camp. "Oh man."

* * *

"WAIT, WAIT, so you're saying all reality could blow up at any second!?" Pacifica asked.

"Yes, and that is why we had to report this to Odin so he knew who was responsible for saving it. If he knows, then the universe can work together to prevent the seals from tearing." Alfonse asked.

"But, why'd your ship crash?" Mabel asked.

"As we were about to leave this planet, our ship was attacked by a shape-shifter who lay waste to our crew and knocked me into a stasis pod." Alfonse said. "I was unable to tell this to you, but I only remembered this a few days ago."

"Wait, how'd this alien look like?" Dipper asked.

"It was … tall with white and translucent skin and red eyes and had one large claw on his right arm." Alfonse said.

"The Shape-Shifter!" Wendy, Dipper and Mabel said.

"You've encountered it?" Alfonse frowned.

"That slimy bastard nearly killed me!" Wendy frowned.

"And we fought it just yesterday and it nearly killed Dipper!" Mabel said.

"Okay, we've really gotta get there quickly." Dipper said and ran on, only to stumble. "Ow, ow, ow! Forgot, still injured."

"Lemme help you." Mabel helped him up.

"Easy, easy." Dipper said as she put his arm over her shoulder. "Okay, let's get there quickly, but slowly." Mabel helped Dipper walk on. "Ow! Mabel!"

"Hey, I'm not the one who decided to start running with a fractured leg!"

* * *

PUSHING LEAVES aside, Tom watched Luke through the bushes as he walked down a river bank across from him. Moving slowly through the marshes, Tom followed the brunette and stopped as he suddenly halted and looked behind a tree. Tom looked closely and frowned as he wondered what Luke was looking at.

* * *

DIPPER AND the others made their way through a thicket of leaves and stopped at a rose bush Dipper recognized from earlier. Drawing his sword, Alfonse moved to cut down the branches when he heard voices nearby. "What the?" He frowned and looked onward.

"Everyone get down!" Dipper said in a hushed voice and they all watched from behind the bushes.

They saw the cabin in the opening a few paces away and nearby, they saw four men digging a large hole near the building. Overseeing them was a tall raven-haired with white streaks in his hair clad in a suit with a broach that had a symbol of the Holy Mackerel on it. Beside him was Deming.

"What is she doing here?" Mabel frowned.

"Who is she?" Pacifica asked.

"We came across her in Mermantropolis; they were trying to destroy the force field." Alfonse explained.

"And she was trying to destroy a magical seal there as well." Dipper said.

"What's going on here?" Wendy raised her brow.

Deming looked around nervously and turned to the tall raven-haired man. "How long are we gonna take? I don't like being so close to Tom."

"Oh, we won't be long now." The man said. "We won't be long at all." He smiled and looked at the hole the men were digging, seeing part of a magic circle being unearthed beneath.

"Tom? Why'd she say Tom?" Mary asked.

"She did act like she knew him back in Mermantropolis." Dipper said.

"Can someone please explain what's going on here?" Pacifica grew aggravated.

"These men attacked us in Mermantropolis and I think they're after the seal." Alfonse said.

"Then we've gotta stop them." Wendy reached for her axe.

"Wait," Alfonse said quickly and pushed her hand back. "Someone's coming."

The five fell silent and turned to see Luke entering the clearing and walk towards the cloaked men. "What the –," Alfonse covered Mabel's mouth.

Luke glanced around as he walked and stopped before the tall man. "Greetings, Lord Nihil."

"Were you followed?" Nihil asked.

"No, I made sure of it." He looked back, unknowingly looking right at Tom who backed further into the bushes.

"Well, we've just found the first part of the underground seal." Nihil turned to the men digging. "Once we find its weak spot, we'll break it."

"Good. I finally found the entirety of the seal surrounding the camp. It's just where I thought it'd be." Luke smiled. "Everything seems to follow the Pines twins."

Nihil chuckled. "You're mistaken. It's the other way round; the Pines always stick their noises where they shouldn't." He turned to the bushes. "You can come out now."

Dipper frowned and exchanged looks with the others who reluctantly rose with him. Looking at the man up ahead, the boy steeled himself and assessed his surroundings, only to jerk back in shock as he saw Tom standing in the bushes nearby. "Tom?"

"Shit, he's here!" Deming shuddered.

"Don't worry, Deming," Nihil held her shoulder, "They won't hurt us. None of them will."

"Why're you trying to break the seals?" Dipper frowned.

Nihil looked Dipper in the eye and scoffed, turning to Tom who eyed him with rage. "It's been a long time since we've talked, huh, boy?" Tom grew angry and Nihil noticed this. "I know it's been a while, but you should be able to remember me."

"Remember him? What's he talking about Tom?" Dipper asked, but slowly silenced as he saw the energy slowly rise from Tom's body.

"Always relying on your powers, aren't you? It's expected from the Dark Son, young and clueless." Nihil smiled. "I'd offer to train you, but I bet you'd just obliterate me given the chance." He chuckled. "Ah, here it comes."

Dipper reached for the journal, but it suddenly flew out of his hand and right up to Nihil who gave him a sly grin. "Give that back."

"This is interesting." Nihil eyed the book and it opened before him, flipping quickly in midair. He couldn't see some words in it, but chuckled. "Futile garbage." He flicked his hand and the book flew back at Dipper. "Well, Pines, I think I should probably kill you before you get in the way like your predecessor did."

Nihil summoned a light mandala before him when Tom suddenly lunged at him with a burning fist. Nihil intercepted this and jumped back; grabbing his arm in midair and lifting him like a ragdoll. Looking the boy in the eye, the man grinned and black energy burst of him and washed over the boy.

"You can't resist this." Nihil said with an unearthly voice.

Tom screamed under his grasp and the red aura from his body fizzled as the black consumed it. He gritted his teeth and clenched his left hand, throwing a mighty punch that hit Nihil in the gut.

The forest went quiet, all sound being swallowed by the collision and light erupted from Tom's body, sending Deming, her men, Dipper, Luke, Alfonse, Wendy, Mabel, and Pacifica flying back into the forest. Tom breathed heavily and looked up, only to see Nihil stand before him unfazed.

"Hmm." Nihil flicked Tom's forehead and sent him crashing into a nearby lake. Dusting his suit, he turned to Deming who was shakily getting to her feet. "We have to leave. It's not gonna work."

"What? But you overpowered him? We can take him out now!" Deming said.

"Heh, he's not done yet." Nihil looked back and saw the lake begin to boil violently. Turning to Luke, he adjusted his shirt. "Get rid of the insects, Luke, we shall continue later. Do not underestimate Tom however." He snapped his finger and a portal opened behind him. He turned to it and he heard a loud splash as Tom lunged out of the lake. With a smile, he walked toward the gateway. "I'll be seeing you soon, brother."

The portal closed and Luke turned around, seeing Dipper, Wendy, Mabel, Alfonse, Pacifica and Tom standing around him, each showing rage and confusion. "Guess I'll have to kill you now."

Luke's head snapped back and veins lurched up his neck, reaching his mouth that slowly tore open down to his ears. The others stepped back in shock as blood spurted from the boy and spikes spread out of his neck. His body bulged and exploded into a horrific mound, sending entrails and intestines on the ground around him.

"I'm so outta here!" Pacifica screamed and ran off.

The remaining flesh mound slowly grew toward the sky and Mabel looked up as it began to overshadow her. "Save me, Waddles!" She clung to the swine.

"Enough of this!" Tom launched toward the flesh and he got sucked in.

Dipper remained dumbfounded, looking to the others who were also frozen in shock. The flesh mound lurched and spat Tom out in a pus sack, growing larger and larger. Suddenly it stopped and steam rocketed out from all sides, blinding Dipper and the others.

Dipper looked up and saw a giant beast standing above the flesh mound. "You're freaking kidding me."

A grotesque two-headed creature stood over the two: its body a sickening mixture of red and brown with a head of a dragon and a wolf and three tentacles and five wings spreading far out, destroying the nearby trees. Tom burst out of the sack and looked up to the monster that bared its teeth at him and breathed heavily, wafting its breath over him.

Tom waved the fog away. "Nasty!" The creature swung a tentacle at him and he watched it nonchalantly. "Yeah, I deserve that one." The beast smacked him into the woods.

Wendy looked up at the creature. "Yeah, I think I'm with Pacifica on this one."

"Run to the cliffs!" Dipper yelled.

"Why? We'd be cornered there?" Wendy asked.

"Just do it!" Dipper jumped back as the creature spat slime at him and he landed on his bad leg.

"Dipper!" Mabel cried and Alfonse knocked her to the ground as the creature sent a tentacle her way.

"You will not escape from me!" The Shape-Shifter roared and flailed its tentacles wildly, trying to hit Dipper and the others.

A tentacle came towards Dipper and Wendy came to his aid, shielding him with her axe. "You need to get outta here, Dipper!"

"We have to defeat the creature first! There's no telling what'd do to the other campers."

"Well, we have to think of something fa –," The beast sent Wendy flying onto a tree.

Rising out of the lake, Tom spat out water nonchalantly and creaked his neck as he studied the creature. Looking at its back tentacle, he smiled. "Let's go."

Tom flew toward the monster and summoned an energy ball between his hands, but it suddenly burst and sent him crashing into the cabin. Tom pushed wood away from him and the creature grabbed him, lifting him into the air and ready to eat him.

"We can't fight this beast head on! We'll need a strategy." Alfonse summoned an energy arrow and shot three at the creature then four into the air, turning the weapon into a sword and running after it.

The shape-shifter turned its attention to Alphonse and sent two tentacles his way, both of which he dodged in a single bound as he flipped over and javelined the sword into the wolf-head's eye. The monster recoiled and Alfonse took the opportunity, summoning the first arrows he shot and directing them into the beast's stomach.

The creature keeled over, writhing in pain and Alfonse snapped his fingers, summoning the arrows he shot into the air to come crashing onto the monster and creating an explosion. He stood up and sighed, only to get knocked back by a wing as the creature took flight and roared wildly, splashing its toxic slime around.

Wendy spun her axe above her head, deflecting the onslaught, and she smashed the weapon against the earth, launching herself into the sky. She reached the creature and hacked its underbelly, penetrating the beast and forcing it down to the earth with the might of the magic weapon.

Tom rose up and saw the oncoming creature, grinning as he charged energy into his right arm and shot up to the monster. Grabbing a tentacle, Tom spun the beast around in midair and chucked the creature toward Mabel who screamed as it came crashing down.

"Wait, wait, I'm not ready, I'm not ready!" She raised her hands to shield herself and gave a scared squeak. She looked up and saw the monster floating before her. She laughed as she realized, "I have a magic necklace! Take this!" Mabel waved her arms and sent the creature toward Dipper who gasped as he'd barely gotten to his feet. The creature stopped and Mabel chuckled. "Haha, I know _you're_ not ready, Dipper."

"That's not funny, Mabel." Dipper frowned.

"But I know who is," Mabel grinned, "Pacifica, catch!" She threw her hands into the air and sent the Shape-shifter flying.

"Mabel, don't!" Dipper yelled.

Meanwhile in the woods, Pacifica looked behind her constantly as she raced between the bushes, trying desperately to catch her breath and not trip on the rocky terrain. She turned back once more and sighed. "I'm pretty sure those guys can deal with whatever that thing is. Yeah, they should be fine." She turned forward when she saw the monsters massive shadow spread before her. She looked up and was immobilized as the beast was mere inches away from her face.

At the cabin, the guys shuddered as they heard the creature crash in the woods. Dipper turned to Mabel in shock. "What the hell!?"

"What? I thought she could handle it." Mabel shrugged.

"Let's go see where it ended up!" Wendy said and ran on.

* * *

DIPPER AND the others rushed into the forest and stopped as they found the creature in a heap near a river. They looked around and heard muffled screams on the other side, quickly going over and finding Pacifica under one of its tentacles.

"Pacifica!" Dipper panicked and Alfonse quickly came to her aid, throwing the tentacle off her and helping her up.

"I know it was Mabel who did this." Pacifica frowned.

"Hey, how do you know it was me? The weather's crazy these days." Mabel stepped back.

"You could've killed me!" Pacifica dusted herself and looked at her ring, noticing a crack on the gem. "Look, you broke my ring!"

"Guys, this isn't the time to be arguing," Wendy cut in, "The monster could get up any –,"

A wave of steam gushed out of the creature's body, hurling the others onto trees and rocks nearby, all except Dipper who crashed on the ground. Dipper pushed himself up and saw the others incapacitated. He stood up as quickly as he could, gasping sharply as he avoided his bad leg, and he heard lurching come from where the monster was.

A figure rose from the steam and it sluggishly stepped out, revealing itself to be Luke with veins running along his skin. Dipper watched him as he flopped about, glancing between him and the journal on the ground a few feet away. "Luke?"

Luke raised his head and stared at him with blood red eyes. Dipper took the risk and dove for the book, but Luke quickly grabbed him and pinned him against a tree. Luke went for Dipper's neck with a bite and Dipper moved out of the way, letting him bite the tree instead. Dipper pushed him off and he raised his brow as the taller boy plopped haplessly on the ground.

Luke scrambled up to all fours and Dipper made a break for the book, only to get knocked down as Luke slid underneath his feet and scooped him up by the ankle. Luke lifted Dipper's bad leg up into the air and bit his foot, drawing a scream from Dipper as he was hung precariously.

Dipper reached for the book, his fingers only inches from the cover when he felt Luke's teeth dig into his nerves and send waves of pain up to his thigh. Clenching his fist, he gave up on the book and flipped over, kicking Luke off him and onto the ground.

Dipper clasped his leg in pain and watched Luke as he slowly slithered his weak body into a sitting position. Dipper watched the boy as he looked around and swerved his neck like a snake sickeningly, dazed from what he could tell. Taking the chance, he quickly pushed himself up and punched Luke out, collapsing on the mud and grazing his bad leg.

Biting his tongue, he got to his knees again, turning to see a white blob squeeze its way out of Luke's agape mouth. He watched the creature move around and it turned to him, revealing its one red eye. "You!" Dipper yelled and the glob tried to scurry off. He grabbed the shape-shifter and tossed it to the ground, quickly grabbing a rock and cracking it over the monster, smashing it to pieces. Dipper breathed heavily and looked to the others who were slowly getting up, releasing a sigh of relief as he slumped onto the bark of a tree.

"Dipper!" Mabel cried and quickly came to her side as she Pacifica, Wendy and Alfonse crowded around him.

Tom rubbed his head in pain and looked at Luke who lay motionless on the muddy ground. "What do we do with him?"

"Just leave him, he's dead isn't he?" Mabel asked.

"No, he's just out cold." Dipper grunted. "I killed the Shape-shifter as it got out of him – he was being controlled."

"Then we'd better take him back to camp." Alfonse said.

"We'd better all go back to camp." Wendy cracked her neck. "Mr Poolcheck's probably looking for us."

"You're right," Dipper tried to stand and Pacifica offered a hand.

"C'mon, lemme help you up." She said with a smile.

Confused, Dipper accepted Pacifica's hand and walked limply with Mabel holding him up on the other end. Tom watched the others walk on and he grabbed Luke's limp body, carrying him back to camp.

* * *

THE SHIMMERING particles of moonlight bled through the blinds and dimly lit the dorm room of Team Gurren. Watching Mus sleeping in a bed across from him, Luke moved a carpet away, revealing a magic circle drawn on the floor. Picking a piece of chalk, he drew the symbol of the Big Dipper on it and smiled to himself.


	11. Quest of Valor

**QUEST OF VALOUR**

ALFONSE GRUNTED as he pushed wood aside and bent over a pile of books splayed on the destroyed cabin's floor in the forest. As he'd feared, with the remainder of Merlin's magic fading, the books themselves were disappearing. He reached for a book, but it vanished before him, leaving him unsure of what he should look for next.

He begun to take his leave, when a shimmer of light caught his attention, drawing him to the ditch Nihil's men were digging the previous day. Having searched it earlier, he frantically went to it again and saw some symbols in the earth. He gasped as he couldn't believe what he'd seen. The seal was broken.

* * *

MABEL PURSED her lips curiously as she stared at Dipper's bandaged leg, her finger constantly jabbing it to yield a response from him. "Y'know, it only hurts a lot, so I don't mind, really." Dipper said, his eye twitching with rage.

"But, how could I have missed so much in only two days? It's the weekend, isn't it?" Mary turned to Wendy, Pacifica, Tom and Mabel who sat around the table in the mess hall.

"I can't believe you actually spent two days there." Tom frowned and looked away.

"Aw, are you mad you didn't stay a little longer?" Mary teased, "I promised it'd be fun, but you weren't willing to dance while Star pelted you with money."

"You promised you wouldn't tell the others about that!" Tom growled.

"Whoa, you're a stripper now?" Wendy chuckled.

"Look, Star was hyper on candy, the party got a little out of hand and –,"

"Okay, Tom's problems with being sexy aside, have you found out what those symbols mean?" Mary asked, smiling to herself as Tom blushed angrily.

"Well, we haven't really found out anything, so," Pacifica looked at her hand in worry.

"But, wait, you and Tom have a bunch to explain too, y'know." Dipper frowned.

"Yeah, like did Deming and that Nihil guy recognize Tom?" Wendy asked.

"And why were you almost collapsing just because Tom was in another dimension?" Mabel asked while snuggling with Waddles.

Mary looked at the others' faces, each showing confusion and a bit of anger. She looked to Tom who shrugged and she began, "It was about a year ago when we first found out about our powers. Tom and I were taken by the Guardians of Childhood to save kids from being trapped in nightmares and Tom started having his red energy powers."

"The guardians of childhood? What's that?" Dipper asked.

"They're a bunch of dudes who claim they protect childhood innocence – Jack Frost, Tooth Fairy, Santa, Sandman, the Easter Bunny and stuff." Tom said curtly.

"Geez, first a fairy space princess and now this? How come you're so grouchy when you've had the cutest wittuwest adventus evuh," Wendy pinched Tom's cheeks.

"They weren't cute!" Tom smacked Wendy's arms aside. "When we were there, I encountered this cloaked being who said he'd destroy everything then when we'd met Star, we discovered Mary's powers and that I and her were linked somehow. I was called the Dark Son and Star was called a Demi-Valar, whatever the hell those things are."

"So, you and Mary share some sort of cosmic connection." Alfonse pieced things together. "Could it be that you and Pacifica share that kind of connection, Dipper?"

"I don't know, really," Dipper said and pushed back his cap, showing the birthmark on his forehead. "I just thought this was a weird birthmark is all."

The guys began chatting, but Mabel failed to say anything and add to the discussion. Pushing back from the table, she headed out of the mess hall and noticed that the others hadn't realized she was leaving.

Huffing, she stepped into the main grounds and lifted Waddles up before her. "Do you understand what they're talking about in there?" Waddles oinked. "I didn't think so," She sighed and hugged him, "All this magicky stuff just gives me a headache." She entered the woods and looked at the trees around her. "Why can't things just be a bit simpler? Dipper's just good at grades and I'm good at –," Mabel bumped into something and she looked up. "What the?"

Seated before her at atop a large rock was a giant garbed in golden embellished armor. With ash black skin and golden eyes, the hulking 15-foot goliath sat hunched over and looked onward blankly, not noticing Mabel below.

Mabel remained dumbstruck, searching for words and mumbling incoherently a she tried to step back. Waddles squealed in surprise and Mabel quickly covered his mouth, causing the giant to stir. "Is someone there?" The giant looked around.

Mabel screamed silently, but calmed down as she realized he hadn't seen her. Slowly, she stepped back away from the being when she heard him sigh. Raising her brow, she looked up and saw the giant stare off into the distance.

Cursing under her breath, she moved up to the giant, "H-hello?"

The giant gasped and looked around frantically, only to see her near his foot. "Oh, it's only a human." He huffed then his eyes dilated. "Wait, you're not supposed to see me up here!"

"No, no, it's okay, I won't tell anyone." Mabel smiled nervously. "Is something wrong? You seem sad."

The giant sighed. "It's that noticeable, isn't it?" He lay his head in his hands. "I've had a bad day."

"Heh, I'd say I've had a bad weekend." Mabel chuckled.

"I just – sorry, bet you can't hear me." The giant picked her up in his hand, making her yelp in surprise. "I, have you ever felt like you don't fit in?"

"Kinda, like today," Mabel gasped and leaned on the giant's face. "Is this the connection the others were talking about?"

The giant chuckled. "Thought you'd be more afraid; humans usually are."

"Well, I'm a special brand – I bet I'm part pig," She held up Waddles. "He and I are soul mates." Her eyes glistened, drawing a laugh from the giant.

"You're pretty funny." The giant said. "I am Gorrum."

"I'm Mabel, it's nice to meet you." Mabel smiled. "Oh, by the way, you forgot to say that I'm adorable, just a heads up next time we meet"

Gorrum chuckled when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind him and he turned to see Alfonse running towards him with his sword drawn. "Get away from her, giant." He yelled and swung the blade.

"Wait, Alfonse, it's okay!" Mabel quickly stopped him.

"Huh?" Alfonse came to a halt.

"He's okay, he won't hurt me." Mabel said.

"I am Gorrum," Gorrum turned to Alfonse then smiled. "Oh, an Elvan – never expected to see one in Midgard."

"Nor did I expect to see a giant." Alfonse sheathed his sword. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh, he just had a bad day and I'm trying to cheer him up." Mabel said.

"No, I fear it's far worse than that." Gorrum became somber. "I fear I may have doomed the people of this town."

* * *

DIPPER RUBBED the sleep from his eyes and perked up as he saw Pacifica hand him a cup of cocoa. Sitting across from him she asked, "Are you sure you couldn't look this up later? You still haven't really recovered."

"No, I have to; it's important." Dipper sipped the cocoa. "Thanks by the way."

Pacifica smiled and looked at the books splayed before them. "So, what've you found so far?"

"All I can find on the Big Dipper is stuff relating to constellations – nothing important." Dipper scrolled through the Grimoire and frowned. "I still can't decipher anything from the book we'd found in the cabin, so I don't know what to look for next."

Pacifica thought a little then asked, "What if the symbols are part of that whole seal thing you guys keep mentioning."

"Huh?"

"Well, it only appeared on me when we were attacked by the spirits and wasn't that the same time you found the book in the cabin?"

"That could be it! The two have to be connected – it makes perfect sense!" Dipper grinned. "You're a genius!"

"How am I genius?" Pacifica's brows knotted.

"I know a place we can look this up further." Dipper shot up.

* * *

"I AM a soldier of Exterra, one of the kingdoms in the valleys beneath Gravity Falls." Gorrum began.

"Whoa, there're kingdoms under the town?" Mabel asked with a childish grin.

"Yes, and I was posted to guard an extraterrestrial dragon that our people froze in stone five thousand years ago. But it escaped two days ago and I've been unable to find it and I fear I can no longer hide the secret from everyone else for much longer."

"Two days ago?" Alfonse stood up.

"Yes, you've come across it?" Gorrum asked.

"That's the same time we found that seal thingy." Mabel piped up.

"And I had the seal destroyed just moments ago." Alfonse turned to Gorrum. "You have to take us to your kingdom quickly."

Sensing his urgency, Gorrum stood, revealing his truly intimidating scale to the two. "Follow me."

Guiding Alfonse and Mabel through the forest, Gorrum pushed trees aside, making his way through the marshes until he passed one of the two rivers closest to the campgrounds. Coming to the face of a hill, he looked to the others and frowned slightly. "Do not tell anyone of this place."

"Hmm!" Mabel nodded.

Gorrum shut his eyes and turned to the hill, placing his hand on the rock wall and causing it to crack silently. Moving his hand, he revealed a glowing handprint that had appeared beneath and out of the blue, an opening appeared in the rock. Turning to the two, Gorrum said, "Stay close to me and don't make a sound."

He stepped into the cave and the two quickly followed him, taken aback by the intense dark as the opening shut suddenly behind them. Silence caved in, the sounds of dust settling and water dripping in the distance being all they could hear until light rays pierced through the wall before them and shifted into another opening leading onto a high platform.

Mabel's eyes lit up in glee as she was met with a burst of color as the golden streets paved out before her. Several giants roamed the city, garbed in vibrant golden clothing and all of ashen black skin, the giants showed similarity to old African and Greek societies. At the face of a mountain kilometers away, a large statue of a warrior giant carved into its face stood tall over the kingdom.

"This is my home, Exterra. My people have lived here for millennia and you two are its first visitors from the outside." Gorrum said.

"It's so pretty." Mabel gasped.

"Come on, let's go." Gorrum walked on and Mabel remained behind, becoming breathless.

Nudged out of her daze by Alfonse, the two followed Gorrum as they walked down the platform they appeared upon and took a flight of stairs downward toward a large stone door – several feet larger than Gorrum – that had mosaic of battle against a dragon carved into it. "It was called the Battle against the Home World Dragon. The beast claimed to be a soldier of an alien race hell-bent on killing rebels who'd taken refuge here. Luckily, we were here to stop it." Gorrum said and grabbed the edge of the door, pushing it to the side and revealing a giant cave entrance. "Follow me."

The giant walked in, quickly followed by the two, and closed the wall behind him, leaving them in the dark that was quickly snuffed out by a line of torches that appeared along each wall. As they walked on, Alfonse looked around and asked, "Why were you out there when this incident occurred? Couldn't you have called for help?"

"The guarding position is just a glorified terminology – it's really just a punishment for those who failed to perform the rites of passage." Gorrum said. "Young men of Exterra were given various challenges and I was among the weaker who failed to pass them, so I was given this as punishment."

"Punishment? But guarding something so dangerous feels like an important responsibility." Alfonse said.

"It'd been thousands of years since the dragon was kept in – everyone thought it was long dead and I was just posted here to guard nothing, but we were wrong." Gorum said. "We must find and contain the creature, or the entire town will be destroyed."

* * *

DIPPER HUFFED as he put down a pile of books on the table and quickly opened one and began to read. Pacifica, who sat across from him and absentmindedly flipped a book, looked around in confusion. "The library? Why're we here?"

"There're a lot of secrets in this library – it's the same place I discovered about the Northwest fraud." Dipper said.

"Ugh, don't remind me." Pacifica frowned and looked at the book she flipped through, quickly stopping at a page. "Whoa, what's this?" She held up the book to Dipper, showing a images of a sun and a moon.

"Oh, that's Alchemy," Dipper said, "The sun represents the soul and the moon represents mind."

"Huh." Pacifica began to read. "Do you know anything about Alchemy?"

"Yeah, a bunch – why?" Dipper asked.

"I don't know, it kinda seems interesting." Pacifica's face lit up.

"I could teach you more about it." Dipper said.

"You would?"

"Sure, why not."

"I … I'm not sure I'm magically inclined or anything." Pacifica rubbed her head.

"Well, you don't need to be, you just have to be interested." Dipper said.

"Alright, I'm interested, teach me." Pacifica said eagerly.

"Great, we'll begin tomorrow." Dipper grinned and Pacifica smiled back at him, returning to her book.

* * *

PUSHING A door open, Gorrum entered a hall and let Alfonse and Mabel in, leaving them in awe as they were met by magical symbols and arcane artworks displayed on the walls. Several artifacts were displayed in pedestals as well, all littered and leading towards a large door at the end of the room.

Alfonse and Mabel read the symbols around them, Mabel failing to understand any of them, and Alfonse recognizing several languages from races around the universe. "I thought you said we were the first visitors from the outside." Alfonse said.

"Yes, but we have interacted with several beings outside this city. We've kept our home secret, but our connections span the cosmos." Gorrum answered.

Moving closer to a wall, Alfonse read some words closely and gasped as he saw them. "This is Elvan."

"What is?" Gorrum moved up to him.

"They're Elvan Alchemic symbols." Alfonse pointed at some ciphers. "This is the symbol for God written upside down and beneath it is a two-headed dragon, representing a complete life form. It means, 'I will strike God to earth and become a perfect being.'"

"A great sage built this hall – we don't really know much about it." Gorrum said.

"But I recognize them." Alfonse said. "That sage was Merlin."

* * *

PACIFICA AND Dipper moved down the aisles in the library as they returned the books to their shelves. Flipping through a book, Pacifica said, "So in the image of a lion eating a sun, the sun's a philosopher stone, right?"

"Yeah." Dipper answered.

"What's a philosopher's stone?" She asked.

"It has many names – Grand Elixir, the Fifth Element – but it's ideally the perfect element that can do anything." Dipper said. "Make the impossible possible. Pretty interesting, huh?"

"Whoa …" Pacifica said in awe, "I'd never thought you'd be looking up great stuff like this while you had your head stuffed in a book all day." She smiled, "You're smarter than you look, Dipper!"

"Hey," Dipper frowned and Pacifica giggled.

Scoffing, Dipper put a book in a shelf, when he suddenly felt a vibration on the floor. He stepped back and put his foot down again, feeling the same vibration resonate. "Uh, what're you doing?" Pacifica asked.

"There's …" He trailed off and handed her the books he was holding.

"Hey!" She yelled, almost dropping the pile.

"There's a magic circle here." Dipper drew out some chalk and rubbed it against the floor. A small mandala appeared on the floor.

"Whoa." Pacifica looked at the circle and the floor began to rumble.

A trap door appeared on the ground and Dipper jerked back, looking at Pacifica in confusion.

* * *

MABEL'S SHAKY breathes echoed throughout the room, the hollowed out and shattered rock before her sending shivers down her spine as she stepped away from it. Standing at 60 feet, the massive stone was carved out and broken, the shape of a three-winged dragon remaining carved into it.

"How did something so big go unnoticed?" Alfonse clutched his sword; his eyes darted around the dark hall.

"That's what I've been trying to find out – it's truly puzzling." Gorrum said.

Mabel held Waddles closely and looked around then stopped as she saw an enormous hole in the wall nearby. "Uh, what about that hole over there?" Mabel raised her brow.

"Okay, maybe I should've looked there." Gorrum stroked his chin, leaving Mabel and Alfonse dumbstruck. "What? I told you I failed the rites of passage."

Alfonse smacked his forehead and turned to his left, seeing the symbols on the walls. He squinted and looked around. "I think these symbols must've been part of ritual – Merlin must've foreseen this happening. We have to keep going."

Gorrum nodded and walked into the hole near the stone, slowly followed by Mabel who was hesitant and clung to Waddles worriedly. As they moved through the tunnel, Alfonse sensed a strange dampness in the air and looked at the ground below. Up ahead, a series of broken rocks and a leathery substance began to come to view. "What is this?" Alfonse asked.

Gorrum stopped and touched the material, rubbing it between his fingers. "This's the dragon's skin. It cannot have gone too far."

The three went further into the cave, maneuvering skin patches on the ground until they came up to an opening. A few feet from them, the cave tapered toward a glowing steel door and they moved up to it only to stop when the ground began to rumble. Rocks began to collapse from the ceiling and they backed up as they crashed down.

The rock pile began to shudder and collected together, shaping into a tall pillar that transformed into a stone giant larger than Gorrum. Summoning an axe with a fiery blue aura, the azure-eyed creature stared them down and with a loud booming voice spoke, "You shall not pass!"

"Ha, reference!" Mabel chuckled and Alfonse deadpanned. "What? I saw the opportunity."

* * *

PACIFICA PUSHED her hair back as she flipped through a book and glanced at Dipper as he hurriedly scanned another in the old small room they found with his Grimoire. Just a few steps down a small flight of stairs under the library, the room was filled with small cases containing books, scrolls and trinkets which were placed on shelves lining the walls.

"What've you found?" Pacifica asked.

"There're patches of information about Merlin, but most of it's in a language I can't really understand." Dipper lifted up the Grimoire, "There's reported sightings of him around the world and in Gravity Falls, and mentions of a Buddy Budwick who sighted these things called Gems – wait, why'd I scan that? Delete." He clicked on the device's screen.

"So, you've found nothing about our symbols?" Pacifica asked.

"Well, what I've found isn't easy to decipher, but there's still a lot of books here, I'll keep checking." Dipper said and went back. Looking at Dipper with concern, Pacifica continued reading.

* * *

THE STONE Guardian swung his axe at Alfonse who quickly jumped away and let it hit the ground, only to get surrounded by its burning aura as it spread around him and nearly burned him. Mabel touched her necklace and raised her hand, pulling Alfonse out of the flames and to her side. "Are you okay?"

"I am, but I don't think we can defeat this thing as is." Alfonse said.

Gorrum slashed his sword at the Guardian and it swiftly blocked his strike with its axe, quickly drawing out a jewel from its belt that it thrust into Gorrum's stomach, searing his flesh. Gorrum fell with a pained cry and the sentry sent a wave of fire out of his axe at Mabel who was caught with nowhere to run.

Tossing Waddles aside, Mabel raised her hands and summoned a telekinetic shield with her necklace, her body immediately overwhelmed by the searing heat and force of the blast. Alfonse rose to come to her aid, but was immediately slowed by the burn he'd sustained from before and he quickly began to panic as the fires began to seep through her guard.

Gorrum saw this and quickly rose up, fighting his own injury and swiping his sword clean across the Guardian's torso. Stopping its flame onslaught abruptly, the statue gave a loud crack before falling apart in half and collapsing on the ground.

Gorrum pushed himself up and went up to Alfonse and Mabel, helping them up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine." Mabel chuckled and went over to Waddles who squealed in a corner. "Just a little banged up."

"What was that statue guarding?" Alfonse asked.

"I don't know. This is the first I've ever seen of it." Gorrum said. "But whatever it is has to be behind that door."

"Indeed you're right!" A voice echoed, followed by a burst of fire that came through the cave wall and curved into the iron door, melting a hole in it.

"What the heck!?" Mabel stepped back and quickly covered her face as something swept past her.

Looking up before her, Mabel backed away in fear as a large blue dragon with three wings and several gems running down its body hovered before them – its dark black eyes staring intently at its prey. "I'll have to thank you sometime for helping me get past the Guardian; thousands of years frozen have made me weaker."

"You won't get away, beast!" Gorrum clasped his blade. "I won't dishonor my people again."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I would love to chat, but Home World is calling." The dragon grinned and sprayed them with a raging wave of fire.

Gorrum raised his sword to defend himself, but realized Alfonse and Mabel would be left open. Sheathing his blade, he held up his hands and crated a wall of earth, quickly colliding with the blast and causing an explosion that shrouded the room in dust.

Pushing themselves upward, Alfonse and Mabel looked around at the dust cloud and turned to Gorrum who was up ahead and looking toward the iron door. The three got up and moved toward the entrance, finding it destroyed and empty.

Gorrum walked around and quickly took in the area, only to find it empty. "No, no, no, I failed to stop it and its regained its power." He fell to his knees. "How am I going to face my people?"

Alfonse stepped up to the giant and saw the grief in his eyes. With a smile, he placed a hand on his arm. "You'll face them like a warrior."

"Huh?" Gorrum frowned slightly.

"Yeah, you guarded it for a while." Mabel chimed in.

"You tracked it down." Alfonse said.

"And you protected us even if we were outsiders."

"You were brave, Gorrum; that's all that should matter." Alfonse said.

"Yes, yes, you're right." Gorrum rose to his feet. "I shouldn't be afraid of the people, I mean; I faced the dragon when they couldn't."

"There's the spirit!" Mabel.

"Thank you, both of you for letting me see that." Gorrum smiled.

"So, what're you going to do?" Alfonse asked.

"I'll inform the captain, he should know about this." Gorrum sheathed his sword. "We'll continue the search and we'll take down the dragon soon enough." He turned to them. "I'll take you both back to the surface – hopefully we'll come across each other again." Gorrum said.

"Don't worry; we'll be around for a while." Mabel said with a grin.

* * *

STEPPING OUT of the cave, Mabel and Alfonse watched as the glowing handprint slowly disappeared and began their walk back to camp. Mabel held up Waddles and played with his hooves, "You've gotta be a little more careful, Waddles; fire's dangerous and you don't wanna get turned into beacon," she said with a baby voice, "though if you were, I'd totally eat you!" She nuzzled his belly and he oinked excitedly.

"I must say, you were pretty good back there." Alfonse said.

"Yeah, thanks." Mabel said, "You kinda just fell on your butt back there."

"Well, I've been through the ringer as you might say," Alfonse rubbed his shoulder, "But you've proven yourself quite skillful at the levitation chain."

"I try," Mabel smiled.

"You're a much better fighter than Dipper."

"Ha! Even Waddles is a better fighter than he is." Mabel held up Waddles, gaining a laugh from Alfonse.

* * *

DIPPER SNEEZED and rubbed his nose, carefully not to drop the books he'd borrowed as he and Pacifica exited the library. Heading out of the parking lot, they two made their way down the street and saw the sun begin to set over the forest in the distance "Y'know, for the first time ever, I feel like I don't wanna see another book ever again."

"Huh, kinda the opposite for me, this Alchemy stuff's really enlightening." Pacifica said.

"I really wouldn't peg you as a magic enthusiast."

"Guess, I had to try something new." Pacifica shrugged. "I had fun today. It was kinda slow, but I enjoyed hanging out with you."

"Really?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah, we should do this again sometime." Pacifica walked off, leaving Dipper with a small smile on his face. Pacifica looked around then saw that Dipper had trailed off. "Hey, ya coming or what? You don't want Mr Poolcheck to punish us for being late."

"Yeah, sure, sure, sorry." Dipper quickly followed her.

* * *

THE DRAGON roared as it soared through the skies over the valleys outside Gravity Falls and he spat out a red ball of energy that formed a portal. Flying through the gateway, he stretched out his wings and landed in the middle of a large fireplace in the middle of a mountain range.

Standing nearby were Nihil, Deming and their men who were watching a fire and preparing a small camp. Rising to his feet, Nihil walked to the dragon, "Ah, you're finally awake, old buddy."

"Nihil," the dragon sniffed, "You stink like always."

"C'mon, that's hurtful; dark energy is a smell you gotta get accustomed to," Nihil said, "So, ya finally ready."

The dragon creaked its neck. "Yes, I have finally retrieved my gem," he pointed at his forehead with the tip of his wing. "Once I help you, you can help me get rid of the resistance on earth."

"Oh, don't worry, buddy; they'll be covered by my plan to – you won't even have to lift a finger." Nihil turned to Deming and the others. "Alright guys, onto the next part of the plan and soon, we'll break the seal."


	12. A Day In Ooo

**For those new to the RealDone Universe, please note that this version of Gravity Falls isn't exactly like it is in the show, thus characters and lore will be altered because it's part of a wider universe, ergo the RealDone Universe.**

* * *

 **A/N: *Response to Matt* No, Steven Universe won't be showing up in this book, but he'll be getting his own book which is in the works!**

* * *

 **A DAY IN OOO**

FIDDLEFORD MCGUCKET entered his massive laboratory beneath his mansion, the whiffs of chemicals and humming of machinery bringing a smile to his face as he walked down the creaky stairway. Reaching the main floor, he put his glass of wine on a table and sat on his hovering chair, propelling himself onward through the lab.

He zipped from desk to desk, checking in on his ongoing experiments and projects: the observation of anomalies in the Pacific Ocean, the YEAST energy buildup he studied on with a scientist in San Fransokyo, the self-playing banjo, and the Tachyon residue left from Weirdmageddon.

He was pleased as he watched over his work and he moved back to his wine swiftly, but his face sank as he saw the Tachyon machine. He stood and looked to its large screen, the racing numbers and spiking orange-red graphs giving him urgency. Quickly grabbing his travel bag, he ran out of the lab and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

FIDDLEFORD BROUGHT his jeep to a halt at the edge of a lake and quickly stepped out, the clicking keys in the ignition and the buzzing engine moving to the back of his mind as he looked at his handheld Tachyon scanner. His eyes jutted from the screen to the trees around him, eager to follow the bogie on the monitor when he came across a fizzle of light between the bushes.

He walked toward them, pocketing his scanner and pushed the leaves aside. He gasped in surprise as a flickering portal floated before him. He had to work quickly. Putting his bag down, he began to set up his portable portal generator.

Standing behind a tree nearby however, Lily Cello of Team Gurren watched him with excited eyes.

* * *

THE UNWELCOME morning light bled into Wendy's eyes, forcing her to cover her face as she treaded down the crisp sand of the campgrounds and headed for the arch gateway leading to the town. She nestled her hands in her pocket and drifted into her thoughts when she saw Dipper seated at the entrance. "Dipper?"

"Hi, Wendy," Dipper shot up, "Where're ya going?"

"I'm gonna meet Tambry in town, says Robbie's dumbass finally getting outta jail,"

"Okay, I'll come with," Dipper followed her.

"Are you sure you should? You were hurt pretty badly."

"Yeah, and it's been a week – I'll be fine." Dipper said, "Besides, I could use a break from this place."

"Suit yourself," Wendy shrugged.

The two made their way out of camp when Lily's shrill yelps caught their attention and they saw her scampering toward the forest. "Oh, not her again." Dipper frowned.

Wendy groaned. "Lily, get back here!"

Wendy and Dipper quickly chased after Lily as she ran on, the irritating chatter of the children and searing heat of the sun being a deafening reminder of how she couldn't stand being around the camp. She glanced around as she went into forest, casting her gaze on Alfonse who took a nap beneath the tree. He was probably the only thing she liked here.

Leaping over rocks and swinging across branches like a crazed monkey, Lily took Dipper and Wendy on a run for their money, nearly losing them when she came to the place she wanted to be and plopped onto the sandy bank clumsily. "You guys know who that is?" She pointed forward.

Dipper and Wendy breathlessly stopped beside her and turned to where she was pointing, seeing McGucket briskly at work on a large computer connected to a portal projector. "Old Man McGucket?" Dipper raised his brow.

"What're you doing here?" Wendy walked toward him.

"Who!?" McGucket turned to them, his eyes enlarged by his large goggles and he gave a wide grin, "Ah, Dipper Pines – wait, you've gotta leave, it's not save around here!"

"What's going on? What's happening?" Dipper asked.

"I don't have time to explain; we'll all be in danger if I don't close the portal right now!" McGucket yelled.

"Fu, Fu, Fu the Puh!" Lily cried as she swung down from a vine and kicked Wendy, Dipper and McGucket in the back and right into the portal.

A wave of height and unearthly light washed over Dipper, McGucket and Wendy as they felt through the gateway and they were immediately met with the a face full of dirt as they collapsed on the ground.

They scrambled to their feet and Dipper dusted himself off, looking up to see Lily swinging from tree to tree from a vine. "What the hell was that!?"

"Daenerys x Tyrion, Daenerys x Tyrion!" Lily chanted and pointed at Dipper, "I'm writing that fanfic – don't copy me!"

"I'm against hitting a child, but I swear, I'm gonna kick your little ass!" Wendy pulled up her sleeve when McGucket quickly pulled her by the arm.

"Quiet!" He said into her ear. "We don't know where we are right now."

Dipper, Wendy and McGucket turned stiffly and took in the forest around them, expecting to see something alien pop out at them, but nothing happened. "Uh, did we go anywhere?"

"We went through a portal, right?" Wendy raised her brow.

"We've gotta get back to that portal quickly – we don't know what could happen here." Dipper said.

"Someone finally came with me to the Sparrow Dimension!" Lily cackled inanely and swung through the trees.

"Get back here!" Wendy chased after her.

"Wait, we can't get split up here!" McGucket called out.

"Meh, I think she can catch her." Dipper crossed his arms. "What were you doing opening a portal in the forest?"

"I wasn't opening one, I was trying to close it," McGucket began, "I've been studying residue Tachyons and YEAST energy around Gravity Falls since Weirdmageddon and a concentration of that caused the portal to open."

Dipper blinked. "Wait, you were studying what now?"

"YEAST energy is a type of energy that forms after or before certain tears in spacetime." Fiddleford said, "A scientist I worked with in San Fransokyo discovered this a year ago and it's been popping up a lot lately."

"So you're looking for it now?"

"Yeah, and I –,"

A blast boomed from their left and they were pelted with wood and stones as Wendy was flung through the bushes. Turning to where the explosion came from, Dipper and McGucket were arrested in shock as what stood before them was a two-headed red cyclops with bone hands and a slime shield that walked toward them.

"Arrgh! We're evil!" The beast swung his weapon wildly, unaware that Lily was riding its back.

"Lily?" Dipper squinted in confusion.

"Ahh, take me to India! Aah!" Lily pulled at the giants hair, making it flail at her.

Wendy, using her axe to steady herself, stood up and watched the giant try to attack Lily, scratching her head nonchalantly and not willing to react. "Aren't you gonna help her?"

Wendy sighed. "Y'know, I just wanted one weekend to myself without being pulled into some new bullshit. Just once, can't I really?"

The giant roared and Dipper began to panic. "But it could kill her."

Wendy huffed, "Fine."

Clutching her axe, Wendy charged at the beast and engaged it in a fierce fight. McGucket stood, captivated as the two went at it. "Since when did she become so powerful?"

"When wasn't she?" Dipper shrugged.

Wendy rolled to her left as the cyclops swung its shield at her and she took the opening, slashing its arm and leaving a gash. The monster recoiled and Wendy ran in for the kill when suddenly, her axe went heavy and she tripped over, grazing her face against the dirt. "What the?" She got up and saw the runes on the weapon fizzle.

"Wendy, look out!" Dipper cried out.

The cyclops brought a heavy fist down at Wendy and she raised her arms to shield herself, unable to move when a sudden burst of green energy came from the blade and knocked her and the monster back. With a moan, Wendy pushed herself up and saw the giant make its way toward her – her axe out of reach and her exits blocked by the trees. She couldn't run.

Suddenly a blonde-haired boy in a blue and white cat-eared hoody and cargo shorts wielding a silver sword came swinging down from the trees with a warrior's cry. The cyclops turned and saw him coming, only to step back and let him crash on the ground.

"Aw, what? I thought I snuck up on him." The boy threw up his hands in frustration.

"How does screaming like a maniac count as 'sneaking up on someone'," A green-skinned archer with wooden horns in a brown cloak said as she stepped out of the woods and eyed the monster blankly.

"I was trying to be dramatic." The hooded boy got to his feet.

"What you were doing was crazy, Finn," An anthropomorphic Afghan Shepherd said, walking in on his hind legs. "You've gotta be more controlled and calm, like me."

"Oh, since when were you ever 'controlled and calm'!" Finn yelled at the dog.

Dipper, Wendy and McGucket watched the three as they began to argue, all of them not noticing the cyclops become agitated. "Hey, how come you guys aren't paying attention to me? I'm a big scary monster." The cyclops said.

"Yeah, yeah," The cloaked girl said dismissively, "Finn, we don't have time to fight random monsters out here."

"Well, I was only trying to –,"

"That's it!" The cyclops roared and red energy glowed from its two eyes.

"Okay, lemme just," The cloaked girl flicked her fingers and four arrows flew out of her quiver, piercing the cyclops and causing it to erupt in a cloud of sparkles. "Now, as I was saying –,"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, who are you?" Dipper walked toward them.

"See? Now we've been spotted!" The cloaked girl frowned.

"Whoa, dude look, more humans!" The dog pointed excitedly.

"Whoa …" Finn squinted, "Hey, you're right!" He quickly went up to them. "Hi, I'm Finn! I don't see many humans around here."

"Around here?" Dipper echoed.

"Where is here?" Wendy asked.

"We're in Ooo, duh," The dog chuckled, "I'm Jake and this's Huntress Wizard," He pointed at the cloaked girl who rolled her eyes.

"Can we just get on with this already?" She frowned.

"Just hold up a sec, HW," Finn said, "Are you guys lost or something?"

"We kinda are; we fell into this portal and we don't know how to get back." Dipper explained.

"Where're you from?" Finn asked.

"We're from Gravity Falls," Dipper said then looked around. "Bet it's far from this dimension."

"Hmm," Finn stroked his chin then noticed the Journal in Dipper's hands. "Hey, is that a spell book?"

"Well, not exactly, it's got spells and all sorts of anomalies that I document in it," Dipper said.

"Then I bet you can help us, right, HW?" Finn turned to her and she grunted in annoyance, "We're trying to seal off a cave that's emitting dark energy and since you know magic, you could help us!"

"Yeah, you help us and we help you with your whole portal biz," Jake said.

"Sure, so long as it doesn't take all day," Wendy frowned and sheathed her axe.

"Then let's go!" Finn said with a grin.

Finn, Dipper, Wendy, Huntress Wizard, Jake and McGucket made their way toward a small bridge at a river and left the clearing. Nearby however, Lily fell out of a tree and ran after them. "Hey, wait up!"

The seven walked down the bridge, the creaking wood and voices calling their attention as they came across several wanderer on the other side. They were of a humanoid build, but each looked to be made of candy, something that deeply confused Dipper and the others.

"What's going on here?" Dipper asked.

"Oh, that's how everyone is around here – I just found it this way." Finn said.

"Yes, yes, but enough chitchatting – we have to focus here." Huntress Wizard interrupted and looked at a leaf rune on her hand. "The dark energy coming from the cave is a rip in reality and might cause a tear that might destroy Ooo. We have to stop it quickly."

"That must be what caused the portal to open in our dimension." McGucket said, "It could be our way home!"

"Yes, but we have to find it at the source first." Finn said. "Let's go."

* * *

DIPPER AND Wendy looked around in confusion as they cave to the face of a cave. Eyeing the burbling river and waffling bushes behind them, Dipper asked, "This is the place?"

"Yes." Huntress answered curtly.

"I was kinda expecting something more exciting." Wendy said. "Doesn't look like there's a portal here."

"It's not just about looks with these kinda things." Finn said.

"Yeah, it's also about the stink too, and I can smell a lotta dark magic here." Jake frowned.

"Magic has a smell?" Dipper raised his brow.

"Only for a magical dog like me." Jake said with a chuckle.

McGucket frowned and produced his scanner, looking at the cave then back at it. "There seems to be a misunderstandin' here – the scanner's pickin' up Tachyons, not magic."

"Science, magic – science is what the unenlightened use to explain what they do not understand about the universe; magic is all there is." Huntress Wizard moved up to the cave and raised her hand, summoning runes that caused the cave to open. She turned to them. "Let's go."

Dipper, Wendy and McGucket shared concerned looks, but followed their new acquaintances in regardless. The cold waved in the dark as they were enveloped by the hollow, echoing surroundings. Each footstep sounded massive and Dipper squinted as he tried to see forward.

He clasped his eyes shut as light shone in his face and he turned to see Finn holding up a flashlight. "Finn?"

"Dipper?" Finn moved the light around. "Where're the others?"

Dipper looked around, making out rocks in the pitch black and raised his brow in confusion. "They're not here."

"Must be some kinda dungeon magic." Finn put the flashlight on his belt and tossed Dipper a spare. "C'mon."

The two traversed the endless path before them, stepping over jewels embedded in the ground and crouching under the caves that deepened into sharp stalactites. As they walked, a warm glow beckoned them closer and they went in, welcomed into a small rounded hall embellished with magical symbols.

The Adventurer and Investigator were in awe at their surroundings, the imagery and text drawing their attention as they read the ciphers. Dipper peered at the markings. "These are Alchemy."

"Alchemy? You have that where you're from?" Finn raised his brow.

"Yeah." Dipper said. "Heh, thought magic was different between universes."

"Well, Billy once said –,"

An arrow shot down at Finn's head and he quickly rolled away from where he stood, seeing it impale the ground with a thud. He looked at Dipper and the two moved to the center of the room as they saw several arrows come out of several openings in the ceiling.

The two ran toward the door, their bodies inches from being pierced by the unending volley of death from above. Drawing twin-swords from his bag – which was a pocket dimension – Finn swung his arms around and summoned a great wind from the blades, sending the arrows flying and propelling him and Dipper through a tunnel up ahead.

Crashing to a stop, Finn and Dipper struggled to their feet and looked up to see several floors spiraling up the ceiling. Finn white-knuckled his swords and Dipper turned to see what'd made him so tense. Covering the floor around them, an army of white-skinned loin-clothed goblins surrounded them!

* * *

"AND THE fall of potatoes will forever be soothed by the hiccup of a woman's ears!" Lily said with weighted breath as she stood atop a rock at the center of a cave.

Jake, who was amused and confused, applauded her long tale while McGucket shook his head in disapproval. "You remind me of someone, someone I hate." The hillbilly said and he headed onward, keying his scanner.

Jake noticed the man leave and quickly stretched to his side, watching him work his machine. "Hey, what's that thing you're always playing with?"

"It's a device I'd developed to scan anomalies – it's a long work in progress that could help me detect when something happens between dimensions." McGucket said without looking at him.

"Heh, it's kinda like Princess Bubblegum's always yacking about."

"Yeah, yeah." McGucket said dismissively then frowned. "It's strange though, the Tachyon signatures haven't changed since we came through the portal." He looked closely at his device. "It's as if we're in the same dimension."

"Well, PB's been talking about dimensions crossing over and stuff." Jake said with a shrug. "It's all she could talk about since the Dark Day."

"You had the Dark Day here too!?" Fiddleford jerked up in surprise then stepped back as he felt something damp at his feet. "What the?"

Lily walked up to them and looked at the ground, seeing water seep through the cracks. "Water! The bells are upon me!" She pointed to the sky. "I swear to baby dolphin giggles, before the old gods and the new, I will find the Banagic Wand before this day is –,"

An aqua-blue hand wrapped around the girl's mouth and she turned to see a blue woman standing behind her. The woman strode on slowly, the sway of her wide hips and her full breasts causing her gold bra and copper skirt to jingle as they moved back and forth.

"Water Nymphs." Jake said in a panic.

"Water Nymphs? What're they?" McGucket asked.

"They're creatures who cast spells on males and …" Jake trailed off and he began to drool.

Licking her supple lips, she looked into Jake and McGucket's dazed eyes with hers of dark black and giggled with a high-pitched tone, summoning several smaller slender girls like her who emerged from the surrounding walls.

Lily pushed herself up and looked on as the girls surrounded the two males, the softness of their voices and cool touch of their skin leading them deeper into a spell as they were dragged away.

Lily grew tense as she tried to think of a way to save them, but quickly drifted into thoughts of a blue four-armed alien surfing in Hawaii. "Ah, Goku, you beguile me."

* * *

WENDY FROWNED as her feet swished through the rising water down the path before her. Huntress Wizard was p ahead and she came up to a corner, her anxious eyes scanning the terrain before stepping into the new tunnel. "This's … odd."

"What is?" Wendy asked, shaking her nearly soaked boot.

"We haven't come across anything our entire time here," Huntress said, "Except for losing track of the others."

"How're we supposed to find them anyway?" Wendy pocketed her hands.

"We're supposed to come across some sort of puzzle or clues, but I can't sense anything." Huntress looked at the rune on her hand. "Obviously, there must be something I'm missing. But what could it be?"

Wendy squinted as something caught her attention, causing Huntress to tense up to as she began to hear fluttering in the distance. The two girls tensed up, each reaching for their weapons as the noise grew louder and louder until suddenly, a group of bats flooded over them, speeding down the path and right past them.

Wendy shielded herself from the onslaught then looked on as the creatures disappeared into the dark. "Heh, thought it was actually something dangerous."

"Could they have been fleeing from something?" Huntress raised her brow.

"Nah, I doubt it – they were just screwing with us." Wendy chuckled and leaned on her axe.

"Well, we'd better keep moving anyway; we have to find the others." Huntress started on her way when Wendy swung her axe at her, mere inches away from her shoulder. Huntress jumped back, stunned. "What're you doing?"

"It wasn't me!" Wendy said and she swung at her head, getting the blade lodged into the wall as the wizard ducked quickly.

"I knew we couldn't trust otherworlders." Huntress summoned an arrow from her quiver.

"No, I'm not the one who's doing this!" Wendy said desperately and her axe flew out of her hands, plopping on the ground a few meters away.

The weapon shook violently on the ground, the earth rumbling beneath it as it shifted and swayed. It stopped abruptly, giving a low moaning sound as Nordic runes appeared along the shaft and to the tip of the blade.

Energy burst from the axe, the white aura illuminating the cave in swirls as it rose to the rocks above. The light wove into shapes and out of the luminescence came four hollow specters who flew up in a circular motion. They were ogre warriors of old, much like Vikings.

The largest among them, one with a long beard and yellow eyes, came forth and said in a booming voice. "Hear me, vile enemy! The blood of my fallen brothers is on your head and now your soul must pay recompense!" He drew a mighty sword and pointed it at Wendy.

Wendy raised her brow. "Huh?"

* * *

FINN SCREAMED like a mad man as he rose into the air, his sword gleaming in the cave's crystal glow as he cut down a goblin to his right. His blade left ribbon-like trails of light behind him as he cut up his enemies, his body moving at deft speeds as he took on foe after foe easily.

Dipper's eyes were on him, as well as the goblins, the walls and the fleeting text before him as he flipped through the Journal. Raising his hand, he summoned spell after spell, "Ellipse Flame! Lightning Tempest! Wind Spiral!"

Spilling from a glowing mandala that appeared before his hand, the elements shifted into flaming discs, waves of lightning and corkscrewed light simultaneously. The goblins were overtaken instantly, diced, scorched and blown back by the overwhelming attacks, all falling near Finn who looked up in surprise.

"Huh, never figured you to be a fighter." Finn said, striking the last goblin with his elbow.

"Well, I've been putting time with my spells." Dipper shut the book. "I could be a master wizard someday."

"Mmm," Finn pursed his lips in thought when lights came on all around, making him tense.

Dipper and Finn were surrounded by several lights as runes came on the walls of the cave, each showing different drawings of goblins and other creatures. They waited as they came on, book and sword at the ready when they suddenly fell off their feet. The ground was swallowing them!

Fighting the pull of the ground that was quickly turning into quicksand, the two tried to reach for anything around them, but they were at the mercy of the pull. Finn dropped his swords and soon after, Dipper lost his book, slowly but surely being pulled to the depths unknown.

Dipper tried to think as his body was being pulled in when he recognized a symbol flinging the floor around him. With a last burst of strength, he leapt forth and slammed his hand on a broken star, causing the whirring sand to suddenly disappear.

Coughing out sand, Finn stood up and watched as Dipper quickly grabbed his book. "How'd you do that?"

"Don't thank me yet, I just caused more traps to come on." Dipper said quickly.

Holes opened on the walls around and spat out several ropes that wrapped around Finn's arms, pulling him two ways. Picking the adventurer's swords off the ground, Dipper quickly cut him loose and ran toward a door that lit up with runes.

Turning to a page, Dipper raised his hands before him, "Reverse Oculus!"

The symbols on the door suddenly turned upside down and the egress shot open, allowing the two to slide in as a volley of spears came raining down from the roof above. Dipper and Finn panted as they sat on the ground, turning to each other and sharing an excited laugh.

"I haven't had this much time in a while!" Dipper grinned.

"You outworlders are pretty fun!" Finn got to his feet then stopped when he realized where he was.

Seeing the seriousness in his expression, Dipper looked onward and his mouth fell agape as he took in his surroundings. Adorning the walls and tapering to a world map above were symbols and murals of different events in time, none of which the two could understand.

Dipper stayed on the map, noticing the twisted terrain and conjoined continents, some of which he recognized as his own. "So, this's your world's map?" He asked Finn.

"No, Ooo doesn't look anything like that." Finn looked around and frowned. "These are Alchemy too."

"You're right." Dipper said, following the drawings on the wall as he read on.

As they moved, they read the murals closer, Dipper being quick to scan them into the Grimoire while Finn remained in awed confusion. They came to the end of the room and looked to its center, noticing a large hole on the ground they hadn't noticed before.

Abruptly, a light flashed from the opening and the two shielded their faces from the onslaught. They looked on and saw a woman made of light floating before them, her clothes were pale white like her skin and hair, her eyes emitting a bright glow that seemed to see through them.

"Welcome travelers! You have made it to the end of the cave." She said.

"Who are you?" Finn asked.

"I congratulate you on your efforts; your feats are truly commendable." She said, her body stuttering and flickering.

"It must be a recording of some kind." Dipper squinted.

"Now that you're here, I an Emissary of the Valar shall bestow upon you the knowledge you shall need to face the Dark One should he return." She continued.

"The Valar!?" Dipper said in surprise and she suddenly disappeared, "Wait!"

Dipper ran to where the woman was and Finn watched him in confusion. "What was that?"

"I needed to hear what she was saying." Dipper turned to Finn. "I wanted to know about …"

Finn frowned as Dipper trailed off and he turned around to see what'd caught his eye. A large door stood before them that was not there before, its height reaching the ceiling of the cave. Drawn into the gold were elaborate patterns and symbology.

Intrigued, the two hesitantly moved to it and pushed it open, the heavy door grating against the ground as it led them into another room which was filled with symbology. They entered and were immediately caught by the ciphers at the end of the room, that which they both immediately recognized.

Lying on the ground amongst jewels was a large sword, one which Finn immediately recognized, and behind it was a large magic wheel on the wall. At its center was the Lich who was floating and upon his head, tattooed into his skin, was Bill Cipher.

* * *

WENDY AND Huntress dodged shot after shot of ethereal energy the ghosts sent that went through the cave's walls. They were at their wits end, having battled the creatures who's attacks threatened to turn them into skeletons – the bones laying on the ground being a fatal warning of what their attacks would do to them.

Flipping away from another such blast, Wendy ran toward their leader with a mighty swing, only for her axe to be stopped suddenly in midair, inches from his face. The ghost roared angrily, sending them both flying back and it raised its hand, making the axe float toward him.

"You are far weaker than we'd expected." He said as he moved to them. "It proves that your triumph over the owner of this weapon was that off treachery and deceit."

Wendy pushed herself up, the wounds of her previous fights back home finally setting in, and she looked to Huntress Wizard who lay limp on the ground. Steeling herself, she stood and eyed the three ghouls that drew closer to her.

"Hmm, is this bravery or foolishness?" The leader said.

"Let's see if you can tell!" Wendy yelled and tried to tackle the creature, only to end up going right through and crash on the ground.

The ghouls laughed at her as she fell, jeering her as she tried and failed to stand. Wendy looked over her shoulder and saw Huntress still motionless. With a relieved sigh, she tried to get back up.

"What is this?" The second ghost frowned and he turned to Huntress. "She's tricking us!"

"What?" The leader ghost asked.

"She's drawing attention towards herself so her compatriot can devise a spell!" The second ghost said and raised his arm, summoning a sword out of thin air. "I shall eliminate her!"

"No!" Wendy cried and ran to Huntress's side, holding her arms wide. "Your fight's with me, not her!"

"Futile!" the second ghost said and moved to throw the sword when the leader ghost held his arm.

"No, Bjorn!" The leader ghost said. "Do not harm her."

"What?" Bjorn said in shock.

"She has proven herself worthy." The leader ghost said.

"Wait, what?" Wendy raised her brow.

The leader ghost floated toward her, leaving the other ghosts confused. "You have proven that you obtained this weapon with honor! A Devilknight must accept a just defeat and the spoils of war belong to the victor." The ghost handed the axe over to Wendy and she grunted as she nearly dropped the weapon which was now heavier. Disappearing into the dark, the ghost said loudly, "You are now bestowed the full power of the axe!"

Wendy smiled, but soon collapsed in a tired heap. Looking to her left, she saw Huntress Wizard slowly stir and she smiled to herself as she raised her axe before her. "Alright, Stone Crusher, let's see what you can do."

* * *

FINN PICKED the sword off the ground, his hands shaking as he recognized the skull on the hilt. "Billy…"

"Did you know him?" Dipper asked.

Finn wiped a tear from his eye and stood. "He was basically my other dad; I learned everything about fighting from him." He looked at the magical wheel. "Why's his sword here? Why is the Lich here?"

"Why's Bill Cipher here?" Dipper frowned. "I've gotta tell this to Mabel." He stopped and turned to Finn. "Wait, who's the Lich?"

"What's a Bill Cipher?" Finn asked.

"Bill Cipher's a being who came from another dimension and tried to destroy my world! We tried to stop him, but it seems he's still out there." Dipper quickly explained.

"Well, the Lich is an inter-dimensional being who's trying to destroy all life in Ooo!" Finn said and he turned to the magic wheel. "Does this mean they're connected or something?"

"I need to scan this." Dipper said, quickly grabbing the Grimoire from his pocket. He moved over to the wall and hovered the device over the symbology and wordings on the rim of the wheel, waiting as the machine hummed as they flowed in. "I found something." He stopped scanning and Finn came to his side, "It's kinda fuzzy, but there're mentions of a Dark One who'll come and destroy all dimensions."

"It's just like that lady said," Finn stroked his chin. "But what do they mean? Who's the Dark One they're mentioning here? Bill Cipher or the Lich?"

"I don't know, but it goes on to mention the Alchemic credo, 'All is one and one is all." Dipper said.

"And what does that have to do with anything?" Finn asked.

"I don't know," Dipper huffed, "But whatever's going on, it means our dimensions are more connected than we thought."

* * *

THE NYMPHS threw themselves onto Jake and McGucket, licking, caressing and rubbing their soft bodies against them. The males' eyes darkened as they grew more and more comfortable, each failing to notice that the beautiful women were dragging them into the walls of the caves, fazing into them like they were wraiths.

Lily watched the display, twiddling her thumb as she tried to decide what to do next. From where she was, she saw the creatures clearly – the dead black aura coursing through their bodies exposing the rotting skeletons beneath.

As they continued to drag them in, something occurred to Lily, "Hey, why're you ignoring me?" She said loudly, drawing their attention, "Aren't I a guy too?" She frowned then pulled out her pants, looking at her crotch, "Oh, I'm not, heh, forgot."

Some of the women moved toward her speedily, the dark aura from their eyes burning off their guises and revealing their skeletal forms. Lily backed up, unsure of whether she was afraid or bored. She was mostly bored.

"You know, I didn't really want your attention," She laughed nervously, "I'm not into chicks, or skeletons, or guys, or marshmallows …" She sighed gleefully, "Chris Hemsworth." She began to drool, then remembered what's going on. "Oh right, I'm going to the movies!"

The monsters pounced on her and began to cut lash at her, trying to cut through her skin, but failing. "Okay, fine, I'm into guys, but what am I supposed to do? I'm a girl!" She shrugged then thought to herself, "Although, marshmallows do get to me, they're pretty disgusting –," A creature bit her arm, drawing blood, "Hey!"

Lily kicked the nymphs off her, dusting herself off and rubbing her injured shoulder. "Oh, you've made me mad now!" She threw open her jacket and drew out two vials of liquid. "What happens when you mix Nitric Acid and Ammonia?" She grinned and tossed the beakers on the ground, causing a green gas explosion that swept through the cave.

Lily coughed violently as she moved through the haze and she looked up to see the nymphs unaffected and McGucket and Jake still under the trance. "Oh right, only I can smell it." She pulled a match out of her sleeve and lit it on her tongue, "Now, this should take me to Dragonstone!"

Lily threw the match into the gas and it exploded, sending her flying through the rocks and incinerating the nymphs. Falling to the floor, Jake and McGucket shook themselves out of the trance and looked around, surprised to see the creatures were gone.

McGucket fiddled with his device as he stood up when he got a whiff of the remaining gas. "Ugh, what is that?" He quickly covered his mouth and Jake sniffed around.

Leaping from beneath the rocks, Lily landed before the two, standing proud and uninjured. "My aunt is a hippo!" She cried with a fist to the sky.

"Was that Nitric Acid and Ammonia?" McGucket asked, tears seeping from his eyes.

"No, but BB8 was sent to Jakku!" Lily answered.

McGucket huffed and walked off, leaving Jake behind who kept sniffing the air. "Mmm, pungent and acidic – good gas explosion," he said with a nod, receiving a curtsy from Lily who then cartwheeled away.

As McGucket went on, he tried to turn on his scanner to no avail when it suddenly started beeping. "Oh no …" He looked up and he saw a pool of purple energy forming in the ceiling.

Jake ran to his side and saw the aura beginning to enlarge, turning to McGucket who backed up and searched through his bag. "What's happening?"

"A portal's opening – I've gotta stop it before it's too late." Fiddleford said and he drew out a Capsule Corp. capsule, tossing it on the ground and summoning a computer on a tripod attached to several wires that connected to a large metallic circular machine. McGucket quickly ran to it and started keyboarding frantically. "I'm gonna try to close the portal- step back or you'll get sucked in!"

Streams of code came on the computer screen and McGucket gained some confidence when the cave began to rumble and sand came down from the ceiling. The old man looked up and rocks began to fall off the rock, heading right towards him!

Jumping to action, Jake stretched out his arm and grabbed McGucket, letting the rocks crush the machine. McGucket got to his feet and held his head in anguish as his machine lay under the rubble. He was soon cut off as another tremor came through, knocking the walls either side of them and knocking them off their feet.

Jake jumped up and saw the walls around them destroyed, revealing Dipper, Finn, Wendy and Huntress on the other sides. Dipper tried to speak in shock when he saw the purple energy descend from the ceiling and a black hand stretch out from its depths.

"What the hell?"

"This is what I came to stop." Huntress raised her arm, summoning several runes on her palm that glowed and oscillated. "Leave, I'll take care of this."

"But, I could help," Dipper said, "There's a –,"

"You don't wanna argue with her on this." Finn held him back, "Huntress's been preparing for this for a while," he looked to her with admiration in his eyes, "She can handle this."

Huntress's eyes shone brightly and she ascended into the air, raising her free arm and bringing it to her chest. Runes appeared on her free hand and she held it away from her, shooting energy out and creating a portal. "This portal will lead you back to where you came from." She turned to the dark energy. "This dark energy is drawing energy from several dimensions – I can only maintain that portal for a short time."

Dipper nodded and turned to Finn who gave him a cheerful grin. "She's kinda scary sometimes."

"Heh, yeah," Dipper said and held out his hand. "It was great meeting ya – even though it was in a cave of monsters trying to kill us."

"Meh, you kinda caught me on an off day anyway," Finn shook his hand, "If you're ever in Ooo, gimme a call."

"Sure thing." Dipper said.

"We gotta go, dude," Jake ran up to Finn, "The cave's coming down fast."

"Dipper, come on!" Wendy called from the where Huntress's portal stood, standing beside McGucket and holding Lily by her collar.

Sharing a nod, Dipper and Finn parted ways, the Paranormal Investigator leaping into the portal and the Adventurer riding off on his dog.

Huntress remained floating in the cave and she held both hands out, shooting a white beam into the dark portal.

Riding further through the cave, Finn sifted his mind as the words of the glowing woman ran though his thoughts. As he mulled over it, the amulet given to him by Ms Abadeer began to glow.

* * *

STEPPING OUT of the light of the portal, McGucket looked around as the familiar sounds of birds and green of the forest around him spread out, smiling as they'd finally arrived. Turning, he saw Dipper, Lily and Wendy come out of the portal, nearly falling over from exhaustion.

Dipper panted and creaked his back, taking a good look around, "Well, we're finally back home."

"Yeah, and it's still morning." Wendy said, looking at the sun above.

"So, you heading to see Tambry?" Dipper asked.

Wendy sifted her mind and looked to her right, seeing the camp in the distance. "You know, I think I'll stick around camp for a while."

Wendy and Dipper walked on and Dipper noticed McGucket staying behind. "You're not heading back to town?"

"I've got a bit more work to do." McGucket said and he watched them leave. Returning to his scanner, he looked through the Tachyon signatures he'd read earlier when Lily dashed past him.

"O say, can you see, I bet Batman is Michael Bay!" She sang.

"Lily, come here for a second." McGucket called.

"Yes, Lady Sansa!" Lily saluted.

McGucket shook his head, "Do you know someone by the name Stephen Cello?"

"Yeah, he's my uncle." She said with a grin.

"Figures."

* * *

WENDY AND Dipper entered the campgrounds and found it just as they'd left, seeing kids roaming around and others like Pacifica, Sherry, Mitch and Chris perpetually arguing as usual. Placing her axe across her shoulder, Wendy wondered how she'd spend her Saturday given that she'd be staying on the grounds when she saw Alfonse seated along by his dorm.

She walked over to him, "Hey, Alfonse."

"Yes?" He turned to her.

"Um …" She hesitated, "You're a pretty good fighter so, I was wondering if you could give me some sparring lessons – I could learn how to properly use this thing." She tapped the axe.

"Of course, my lady," He rose up, "I'm at your service."

"You don't have to call me lady though." She said.

"As you wish." He nodded.

"C'mon, Knight Guy, I'll show ya a spot I like to work at." Wendy said with a chuckle and walked off the grounds with him.

* * *

MCGUCKET CONNECTED his scanner to his computer an quickly keyboarded, trying to make sure his suspicions weren't true. Bringing up the Tachyon readings in Ooo with the readings from the camp forest, he looked to the screen and removed his goggles in shock: they were an exact match.

"We never left this dimension …"

NIHIL STEPPED out of a portal and creaked his neck, glancing around to make sure nobody saw him as he walked over to the cave in Ooo. As he'd expected, the opening was blocked and the dark energy that was rising had been blocked off by a local wizard.

But as he'd foreseen, there was still some remaining, seeping from the cave and ready to corrupt the surroundings. Raising his hand, he summoned a light mandala and absorbed the matter, clearing the energy from the atmosphere.

"This is just what I needed."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for Reading! If you enjoyed, check out our Deviantart for some of our character designs. Thanks!**


	13. A Day In The Life Of Toby

****A DAY IN THE LIFE OF TOBY****

"HEY, IT'S me, Bodacious T!" Toby Determined said with a wide grin as he came before Shandra Jimenez at a table in Greasy's Diner. She gave him a cold gaze and he quickly sat down.

"Where were you? It's been half an hour." She looked at her watch.

"I'm sorry, my car broke down and I was mugged at the nearby gas station by the attendants who thought I was a goblin who stole a car."

"Look, whatever, let's just get this over with." Shandra said bluntly.

"But how come? I thought you agreed to go out with me." Toby said.

"I only agreed so I'd get you to stop sending me texts and getting my number from my coworkers." She frowned.

"Oh … I thought it was just my phone that was malfunctioning whenever my calls didn't go through," Toby said, lifting up a crusty old flip phone.

"Can I get y'all somethin'?" Lazy Susan came and asked Shandra.

"Yes," Toby piped up, "We'll be having the –,"

"Ah! Goblin!" Susan shrieked and people began to mutter.

"No, no, you misunderstand!" Toby stood up, "It's me! Toby Determined!"

The diner went silent then Soos said, "Hey yeah, he's the goblin from the news!"

"Huh?"

The customers chased Toby down and he ran frantically out of the diner, heading towards the nearby woods to catch his breath. He looked at his reflection in a nearby signpost, seeing the wide, sad face staring back at him with mascara and a Mohawk.

In a fit of anger, he wiped his face and tore off the wig, heading into the woods and pulling out his pad and pen. He had to make a change and if he was to regain respect as a reporter, he'd have to find a big scoop for the network.

* * *

MINUTES TURNED to hours for Toby as he trudged through the woods, and he came to a stop at a tress stump only to immediately fall into a large pit. He screamed as he plummeted, the daylight fading through the shrinking hole above and the dark setting in as he met the bottom with a loud thud. Rubbing his head in pain, he slowly rose and picked up his pad and pen when he suddenly fell back down in a panic.

Large mounds of tree sap lined the walls of the underground, intersecting the rocks and rising to the ceiling above. Lying within and frozen solid were dinosaurs!

"Oh man!" Toby said and began to run.

Toby missed a step however and tripped over a rock, causing the ground to crack and the ceiling above to cave in and send rocks tumbling toward him. "Oh man!" He cried and raised his arms as rocks crashed all around him.

Wafting through the cloud of dust, a massive, scarred Tyrannosaurus Rex stepped out and looked at the sap at its feet, turning its head skyward and roaring wildly, bathing the earth in its shadow as the cave came open above and pterodactyls flew out into the forest.

* * *

A FEW HOURS EARLIER

The campers loitered around the Camp Mystery Camp grounds after breakfast, unsure of what to do with the beginning of the week when a loud bullhorn caught their attention. Standing before the mess hall in short shorts, a black vest and a black cap, Mr Poolcheck creaked his neck and yelled into the megaphone. "Get your lazy butts out here!"

The campers roused quickly and fell in line, each of them afraid and tense – except for Tom who nonchalantly walked by, unaware of what was going on. Mr Poolcheck inspected the children – unkempt and disorderly as he'd expected – and he moved to the front of the line, eyeing them with rage-filled eyes. "It seems you children have become soft under the Camp Assistant Manager's leadership! And it seems that she isn't even awake when you should be on your morning hike!" He yelled.

"Um, Mr Poolcheck?" Dipper raised his hand.

"Silence, you!" The man yelled and he glanced to his left as he heard Wendy come over, dragging Lily by the collar.

"And I fly to Pompeii!" Lily sang.

"Shut it!" Wendy frowned and she jerked up as she saw Mr Poolcheck up ahead. "Oh, morning, Mr Poolcheck, I thought you were out."

"I was and I'm back!" Mr Poolcheck stood over her, his face and neck pulsating with veins that were threatening to burst. "Where were you?! These children would've been in mortal peril had I not arrived to stop it!"

Wendy looked at the campers who glanced around sheepishly then looked back at him. "Uh, are you sure?"

"You have become more lax since I'd decided to give you more liberty over the campers and now this place is a mess!" Poolcheck started pacing. "So, I shall become part of the camp activities to assess your performance!"

"What do you mean?" Wendy asked.

"For today, I shall be a camper and I'll follow your rules – disappoint me and I'll fire you." Poolcheck folded his arms.

"You're sure about this?" Wendy raised her brow.

"Completely!" Poolcheck joined the campers' queue. "You're now in charge." He put his hat away. "Impress me."

Sifting her mind, Wendy grinned and let Lily go. "We have a deal."

Moving up to the font of the campers, she whipped out her clipboard and looked at the empty page before her. "Today, we're gonna be doing a friendship exercise."

"A friendship what-now?" Tom raised his brow.

"A friendship exercise!" Wendy repeated with a grin. "I'm gonna test out how well you campers work together by putting you in pairs and each pair will face camp challenges together. Whoever has the highest score has the best friendship score and will earn a badge for both their teams."

The campers chattered amongst themselves, some unnerved and others excited. Flipping through the clipboard, Wendy came up to the camp roster and tore it up, making small cards with random campers' names on it.

Splitting them between both hands, she looked to the children. "Okay, I want you to line up in twos and get your cards. If you pick your own name or the name of someone from your team, put it back in and try again."

The campers lined up to either side of Wendy and picked out their cards, each getting a random partner. Dipper was hesitant as his turn came to get a card from Wendy and he looked on to see Pacifica getting a card from her at the same time as him.

He eyed her for a bit, debating on what they'd do if they were partners. He began to think up what he could teach her about Alchemy or what would happen if they encountered something magical. All his thoughts were snuffed out however when he saw the card he'd picked.

"Aw, what!?" He said in annoyance.

* * *

A TUMBLEWEED rolled across the ground, moving past Dipper and Grenda who sat near their tents by the campfire that night. Dipper tapped his pen at his chin and saw Grenda looking onward idly. He had to win a badge for his team, he had to do it for Pacifica.

Shaking his head away from those thoughts, he turned to Grenda. "So …"

"So …" Grenda nodded and looked around.

"It's a nice night – lots of … air." Dipper said.

"Yeah, there's a lot of oxygen and stuff." Grenda nodded and looked around again.

An awkward silence fell. "We're not getting any badges, are we?"

"Nope."

* * *

PETER, A tall slim boy from Team Royalty chuckled as he listened to Mabel tell her stories and tried to start a campfire. Holding up Waddles and playing with his hooves, Mabel continued: "And that's how he nearly got turned into bacon!" She hugged the swine. "Y'know, I may love this little guy, but I do wonder how he'd taste like."

"Why not just have regular bacon?" Peter asked.

"Well, I would, but he follows me around and I'd be messed up if I was eating his cousin or something right in front of him." She glanced around. "Maybe."

Peter laughed and got to his feet, seeing the tents he'd finished making. "Alright, have you gotten the water yet?" He asked.

"Wha?" Mabel raised her brow, not noticing Waddles nibbling her hair.

"Okay, that's adorable, but did you get any water?" Peter asked again.

"Well, no, I was going to do that, but then Waddles started chewing my hair and I got distracted and –," Waddles bit her ear, "Here he goes again!" She squealed and hugged him.

"It's okay, I'll get it." Peter laughed and walked off, leaving Mabel playing with Waddles.

* * *

MITCH, THE captain of Team Chicks Dig Giant Robots, sat outside his tent, looking around apprehensively as Lil Gideon giggled to himself from his tent. Emerging from it, Gideon moved up to Mitch and held out a large lunchbox. "Here, have some!"

"What's that?" Mitch shot up.

"They're cookies! I made 'em myself."

"Cookies made outta blood and entrails, huh?!" Mitch frowned. "I know you're some kinda wizard cult guy!"

"Well, the ingredients are **__**magical**__**." Gideon said with a chuckle and he pulled out a cookie, revealing its pentagram shape.

"I knew it! Diablo!" Mitch said and ran off.

Gideon watched him run and he shrugged, "Dunno what's his problem." He took a bite.

* * *

PACIFICA BIT her lip and covered her ears in frustration as Lily ran about chasing butterflies. "Get back here, you dragons! Your pixie dust will be mine!"

"Ugh, will you freaking shut up already!" Pacifica yelled. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." Lily said in a sudden somber tone and she flipped back, landing beside Pacifica who was seated on a log near their shabby tent and campfire.

"Uh, what're you doing?" She backed up.

"Pacifica," Lily said and held her hand, looking at her with longing eyes. "Mi amore, I have always loved you."

"What?" Pacifica raised her brow and Lily got up to her and licked her cheek, pressing her tongue hard against her skin and up to her hair. "Ew, what the fuck!" Pacifica yelled and jumped to her feet. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Valar Morghulis!" Lily yelled and ran off. "The universe is a taco!"

Pacifica stood in horror as she watched the girl run off and she quickly ran towards the river, rinsing her face frantically. "I'll never get this off!" She yelled. "Crazy bitch!"

Wiping her face, she looked around and saw Lily riding a stag which tried to get her off. "Yee-haw! Giddy-yup, Pikachu!"

"Okay, I'm out." Pacifica walked off.

Pushing leaves aside; she entered another footpath and headed back toward camp, looking up to see the shining moon light up her path. She rubbed her shoulders as the cold set in and she began to wonder if she'd come across Dipper, wondering if they could pick up where they left off back at the library

She began to trail off in her thoughts when a sudden rustling took her attention. Turning to her left, she saw bushes shifting and a low rattling intertwining between the snapping of twigs. She frowned and moved closer only to hear a growl that startled her.

"Hello?" She said slowly.

She reached to the leaves and a large eye appeared, drawing a shriek from her and knocking her to the ground with shock. Out of the bushes came a large velociraptor that sprung its head forth, screeching loudly and splashing saliva on the ground. Pacifica scrambled to up and ran off, tripping on her feet as the creature leapt into the path and chased her.

Pacifica's heart pounded in her ears as she raced through the woods, the searing pain in her chest and feet fading as she was overcome with fear. The raptor snapped its jaws at her, its razor sharp teeth ripping her jacket and nearly gashing the flesh of her back as it drew closer and closer to her.

The animal bashed its head at her back, knocking her down like a ram, and it pinned her down with its massive feet, ready to devour her. She snapped her eyes shut in fear, accepting her death when a sudden, loud Tarzan-like cry grabbed hers and the dinosaur's attention.

Out of the bushes came Lily swinging from a vine, her body garbed in a crudely strung loincloth made of leaves and her arms and face plastered with paint. The raptor roared at her, only to get smacked in the face with her boots as she swung by. Grabbing Pacifica in a single swoop, Lily swung off into the trees.

Lily leapt down and landed in a clearing, a knee to the ground and her arms cradling Pacifica like she was her lover. Lily looked to the blonde girl, puckering her lips to kiss her and causing Pacifica to recoil in disgust.

The two girl's lips were mere inches from each other, when Pacifica suddenly fell to the ground with a thud. Rubbing her head in pain, she turned and saw Lily kissing a dirty rock passionately. "Wha?"

"Steve, stop it!" Lily smacked the rock aside and stood up. "I have a boyfriend."

Pacifica chuckled. "You're joking, right?"

"No, I'm dating Nate from Team Elf." Lily said blankly.

"Nate? The Nate? Blond, hot –,"

"That's the guy." Lily grinned.

"Then why're you trying to kiss me." Pacifica stood up.

"Because you're ugly and repulsive; I ****love**** things that're ugly and repulsive." Lily said with a blush, causing Pacifica to back up. "Now, let's go, Steve!" Lily picked up the dirty rock, only to fall back from its weight.

Pacifica shook her head and sighed. "This chick …"

* * *

NATE AND Alfonse sat at their perfectly assembled campsite, roasting fish and meat by their wooden grill and facing the lush beautiful river before them as the moon glistened on their chiseled bodies. Laying back against his flawlessly made beach chair, Alfonse sighed, "Yes, yes, we' are sexy,"

"And handsome," Nate responded.

"And both believe in justice and protecting women." Alfonse said.

The two men then grunted back and forth, each of them nodding in the manliest of ways as they grilled their meat – like men. "Yes." Nate bit his steak.

Mabel sighed with admiration as she watched them from hers and Peter's tent when Lily and Pacifica came running to the camp, drawing everyone's attention. "Nate!" Lily cried.

"Lily?" Nate stood up.

"Nate! I missed you so much!" Lily said angrily and she dropkicked him into his tent.

"Uh…" Pacifica raised her brow.

"Ah, that's my girl." Nate groaned underneath his sleeping bag.

"What're you doing back here?" Dipper asked, ignoring what'd happened as he stepped away from Grenda.

"We were attacked by a dinosaur!" Pacifica yelled.

"Attacked by a what?" Tom raised his brow.

"There was a dinosaur out there and it tried to eat me!" She repeated.

"Are you seriously telling me there's a dinosaur out here?" Tom asked.

"It must've escaped from the caves!" Dipper said.

"Now, now, why would there be a dinosaur out here?" Mr Poolcheck asked with a chuckle. "You must be seeing things."

"Mr Poolcheck, I think we should listen to her," Dipper said, "There were dinosaurs imprisoned in tree sap in an underground cave and –,"

"Tree sap? What comics have you been reading?" Mr Poolcheck laughed. "There's no such thing as –,"

Tom pushed Mr Poolcheck aside suddenly and out of the bushes came a large mace that came racing towards him! He blocked it with his forearm and was grazed against the ground, sliding to a stop and looking up to see that it was a large tail that'd hit him.

"What the?" Dipper said in surprise.

A loud screech came from the bushes and the tail swung back, ripping apart the marshes and unveiling a massive Euoplocephalus. Stamping its hooved against the earth, the hulking beast flared its spikes across its hunched back and swung its tail with a mace-like end around, its eyes squinted and looking for its next opponent.

Tom didn't give it the chance however and he darted across the ground like a bullet, smashing his right fist into its side and ramming it in with an incredible force that tore a giant hole through its body. Blood and entrails splashed about and the animal carcass fell over in a heap, leaving him standing tall over the remains.

Tom shook the blood off his fist and turned to the others who watched him in shock. "What?"

"Forget Alfonse, give me some a' that!" Mabel said excitedly.

"H-How d-d-d-d -did you d-d-d-do that?" Mr Poolcheck stuttered.

"No time for that, we've gotta move!" Dipper said hastily and grabbed Mr Poolcheck by the arm, running off with the others.

"I knew there was something wrong with this camp!" Mitch yelled, keeping away from Tom.

"What kind of magic did you use, Tom?" Gideon grinned.

"You wanna arm wrestle?" Grenda yelled.

"Yo, if you wanna punch holes through anyone else, know that I ain't got nothing against you and I ain't got nothing to do with nobody involving anything!" Peter said quickly.

"Marry me!" Mabel clung to Tom and he pushed her aside.

"I think the sap must've dried up somehow and became brittle enough for them to break free." Dipper said. "If there're two dinosaurs out here, then there's gotta be more."

"We've gotta get to that cave." Mabel said.

"H-how was he able to do that?" Mr Poolcheck asked shakily.

"Baby!" Lily kicked Tom in the head.

Tom huffed and punched Lily in the face, rocketing her into the sky and disappearing in the clouds. The others stopped and watched her fly off, turning to Tom with shocked faces. "Dude!" Dipper's jaw dropped. "You just killed her!"

"No, she's still alive, let's just move." Mitch said, shaking his head and walking off.

* * *

SQUEEZING HERSELF past the rocks, Mabel entered the cave after the others went in, joining their awe as patches of tree sap above glistened in the moonlight glow that came through the newly destroyed ceiling. She walked towards them when the earth suddenly rumbled.

"Wait, what was that?" Mabel raised her brow and she saw pebbles shaking at her feet.

"I kinda hear it too …" Pacifica listened. "Are those footsteps?"

The others tensed up and waited as the rumbling continued, each one getting louder and louder until they saw Mitch run in and collapse on the ground. "Damn, I thought it was another dinosaur." Peter chuckled.

"Shut," Mitch wheezed, "Up!"

"How do we catch them though?" Dipper stroked his chin.

"Over here!" Toby called from under the pile of rubble.

The others ran to him and Dipper raised his brow as he saw him struggling beneath a large rock. "Toby Determined? What're you doing here?"

"I was trying to get a big scoop for the newspaper, but I ended up releasing the dinosaurs by mistake." Toby explained.

"Newspaper? Who even reads those?" Pacifica raised her brow.

"Oh Toby, you already learned this from last time, your dreams go nowhere!" Mabel yelled like he was far off.

"Mabel, that's not nice." Dipper nudged her and whispered, "Besides, I thought it was only the Broadway thing that was going nowhere."

"But look at him, it's basically everything." Mabel said.

"Yeah, that's true, I mean –,"

"Can someone help me up?" Toby said.

"I'll do it." Mitch said and he tried to pull him up, only to fall back down from exhaustion.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk," Peter shook his head. "You really gotta lose weight."

"Thank you very much," Toby said as Peter helped him up. "So, what're we gonna do about the dinosaurs?"

"We're gonna trap them and bring them back here." Dipper said then asked, "How long ago did this happen?"

"It was around ten this morning," Toby looked at his shattered watch, "There were about ten of them and they were really scary."

"Then we could use some magic on them or somethin'!" Gideon said excitedly. "This's gonna be fun."

"Well, then we'll have an hour to round them up before the reach town, so we'd better act quickly." Dipper said. "We'd need to split up and have teams to bait the carnivores and herbivores."

"Well, we've got our bait for the carnivores already." Peter said.

"Really, what?" Mitch asked then saw Peter pointing at him. "Really, man?"

"What? It's cuz you're fat." Peter shrugged.

"… Fat bitch." Mabel said.

"Really?!" Mitch frowned.

"I'm sorry, I just took the chance." Mabel chuckled.

"And I set up the TNT!" Lily jumped up to them, holding a large bundle of explosives.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Dipper said, quickly backing up with the others. "How'd you get back here?"

"Back from where? I've been here the whole time." Lily grinned.

"I told you she'd be okay." Mitch groaned.

"This woman is crazy." Alfonse frowned slightly.

"Well, we should assign our teams then," Dipper said, "We'll –,"

"Dipper, Mabel, Gideon, Lily – with the bombs – and I will take Mitch to the carnivores and Mr Poolcheck, Pacifica, Grenda, and Alfonse will force Toby to gather grass for the herbivores." Tom said and walked off. "Let's get going."

Dipper frowned at Tom as he walked past and Mabel giggled, grabbing the boy's arm and following him out as the group split up at the cave's exits.

* * *

"I CAN'T believe you'd do this to me, man." Mitch frowned at Peter, "You can't stand by me at all?"

"Eh, it's you or me and I ain't getting eaten today." Peter chuckled.

Dipper paced around, looking at the TNT laced between the leaves on the ground that Lily lad on the ground. He was impressed with how well they were hidden, only to have his thoughts dashed as he saw Lily trying to eat a stick of dynamite.

"Yeah, scratch this idea, man!" Dipper said to Tom who floated above.

"I don't have time for this man, I wanna head back quickly." Tom frowned.

"I see a couple of raptors a couple feet ahead!" Gideon called from the bushes nearby.

"Alright, Mitch, go and I'll back ya up." Tom said.

"But, why can't you just take 'em down on your own? You have powers!" Mitch said.

"Yeah, but this'll be funnier." Tom responded.

"C'mon, go, we'll cover you." Peter pushed Mitch forward.

Mitch walked on hesitantly and looked to the others. "You'd better be there when they attack!"

Tom gave Mitch the okay sign and he gulped, stepping away from the others and moving to where Gideon had pointed. Glancing around frantically, the boy moved through the marshes and leaves, looking around to make sure Tom and the others were there. They were gone.

"You have got to be kidding me."

Mitch heard a low growl and turned around to see two velociraptors standing nearby. They hadn't noticed him and he began to step back, realizing he should've just left instead of following the others' plan. As he stepped back however, his foot landed on a twig.

"Dammit, why is there always a twig!"

The raptors turned sharply and saw him, each cocking their necks and approaching slowly as they studied him. The creatures were around his height, but made him feel small as they looked him in the eye and growled raspily behind their gnarled teeth. He gulped.

"Uh, guys?" He looked behind him and heard nothing. "Guys!" There was silence. "I knew I couldn't trust you bastards!" The raptors roared and he shivered. "You know what, screw this!" Mitch punched a raptor in the snout, merely nudging its head and leaving it blinking in confusion. "Well, that didn't work!" He spun around and ran, only to stop after two feet to catch his breath. "Man, maybe I do need to lose some weight."

"Woo-hoo!" Lily cried as she leapt out of the bushes with a net made out of sticks of dynamite. She jumped over the two creatures in a single bound and covered them with the dynamite, rolling to a stop in the woods.

"Now!" Dipper yelled from behind Mitch and Tom swooped down from above, dropping a third raptor over the confused two.

"Light 'em up!" Tom said and Dipper hit the detonator, erupting the lizards in a small explosion that sent their flesh flying about.

Mitch blinked in shock then turned to Peter who walked by. "Why didn't you guys say you were gonna do that?"

"Like I said, it'd be funnier." Tom said.

Mitch frowned and began to storm off, only to walk into Gideon who held up his lunchbox enticingly. "I could give you some cookies if you like."

"Leave me alone!" Mitch yelled and ran off.

"Hmm," Gideon watched him, "Guess he can run." He shrugged and bit a cookie.

* * *

TOBY GRUNTED as he reached up for the leaves above, his head banging as the others angrily yelled at him. "C'mon, Tobey Maguire, you can do this!" Pacifica yelled from behind a rock.

"It's Tobey Determined," Toby moaned, "And I can't reach the leaves by myself."

"Who cares, just get the leaves before the dinos show up!" Grenda yelled.

"Let me handle this." Mr Poolcheck pushed Toby aside, only see a massive Brontosaurus hulking over him. "What the hell?"

The others cowered as the magnificent long-necked herbivore scoped the area, having not noticed them as it reached down for a bite from a nearby bush. It bit Toby's head instead.

The beast slowly carried the small man above and the others merely watched, disinterested in helping. "I thought those things were herbivores." Pacifica raised her brow.

Mr Poolcheck squinted as the dinosaur chewed on Toby, realizing it was merely nibbling his head. "I think it thinks he's a plant."

"Help me already!" Toby cried.

"Fear not, goblin!" Alfonse gave a mighty cry as he held his blade to the sky.

With rapid slashes, the elf cut down leaves and rushed to Toby's side, flipping over and grabbing the small man in a single bound. Toby panted as he looked at the man. "Th-thank you," He squinted as he realized what Alfonse had done. "What're you –"

"Come and get it!" Alfonse lifted Toby up with a grin, revealing the leaves and plants he'd tied around him, turning him into a giant salad.

"What're you doing!?" Toby yelled, but immediately gulped as the brontosaurus turned to him with hungry eyes. "No don't do it!"

"You want your lunch, then follow me!" Alfonse yelled and ran on, luring the beast and a couple others away from the area.

Hearing Toby's shrill screams, Pacifica, Mr Poolcheck and Grenda stood nonchalant. "Well, that was easy." Pacifica shrugged.

* * *

"THIS'S HUMILIATING." Toby said with a huff as he sat on a tree stomp beside Mitch. Toby watched solemnly as Tom fastened the massive nets the dinosaurs were trapped in. Mitch sighed, "Well, I guess it's gonna be over soon."

"Perfect!" Dipper dusted his hands and grinned. "All we have to do now is figure out how to put them back in the sap and we'll be done."

"You'd better figure that out quick 'cuz I'm not carrying these bitches again." Tom grunted.

"How're you so strong anyway?" Mr Poolcheck asked.

" ** **Now**** you're asking?" Pacifica raised her brow.

Dipper flipped through the journal, looking for an answer when a deafening roar resounded behind him. The others were gripped in fear and Dipper looked around, seeing leaves shake and birds scatter above. "Uh, we've got all the dinosaurs here, right?" Pacifica asked. Dipper gulped. "… I think we forgot one."

"Well, this should be interesting." Tom pocketed his hands.

The others trembled in fear as the earth began to shake, the sounds of loudening footsteps sending shivers down their spine. Trees came crashing down as a T-Rex tore through the forest, causing the forest animals around to scamper about in a panic.

"Run!" Dipper yelled and dashed off. "Wait, why should I run?" Tom asked as the others sprinted on. "Wait, seriously, I could take on this thing." A herd of deer came galloping through, blindly hitting into the trap the dinosaurs were pinned under and setting the beasts free. Looking onward nonchalantly, Tom huffed, "Okay, maybe that makes things just a tiny bit difficult up in here."

The brontosaurus smacked Tom aside with its large leg, sending him flying over a ravine. Looking back, Toby shrieked as he saw the monsters catching up. "We'll never make it!"

"Speak for yourself!" Mitch panted several feet behind. Seeing the T-Rex right behind him, the boy jumped off the path and rolled down a hill, avoiding the creatures that tailed the others.

Writhing with rage, the T-Rex veered off and bit the brontosaurus to its left, sending the colossal beast tumbling down and smacking into Toby who fell off the trail. Seeing the chaos behind him, Dipper turned and opened a path on a bush to his right. "Come on, this way!"

Mabel, Alfonse, Mr Poolcheck, Pacifica, Grenda, Lily and Peter rushed into the shrubs, huddling behind Dipper who pulled the leaves back down and tried to think. "What're we gonna do now!?" Mabel cried out, getting shushed by Dipper.

"We can't be loud or they'll hear us." Dipper said.

"I say we stand and fight." Alfonse reached for his blade, gaining a smile from Mabel.

"No way, tough guy, I'm not gonna die just because you're trying to prove yourself or something." Pacifica frowned.

"We shouldn't just wait here, they'll find us eventually." Mr Poolcheck said.

"Yeah, he's right!" Grenda shouted.

"Shh! Are you trying to get us caught?" Dipper frowned.

"Yes, I am!" Lily cried and burst out of the bushes, ripping apart the branches and exposing them to the T-Rex that came running after them.

"Are you fucking insane!?" Peter held his head in shock.

"I swear I'll kill you one day!" Pacifica yelled.

The T-Rex reached down with its jaw wide open, ready to devour the kids who were too afraid to move. Alfonse reached for his blade when a pebble suddenly pelted the beast. Silence fell as the creature froze with rage, turning its head slowly to see a bruised Toby standing a few feet behind it.

"Toby?" Dipper raised his brow.

"I won't let you eat them!" Toby panted and raised his arms wide. "I'm the one that you want!"

The dinosaur roared and charged after the man who quickly ran off when he realized what he'd just done. The others remained frozen as the midget raced for his life, dodging falling branches and tripping over himself as he tried futilely to escape the T-Rex.

"Fear not, for I will save him!" Alfonse said as he turned his sword into a bow and arrow and took aim, only to jerk back as a blinding light shone down the path. Moving his hand down, he looked onward and was stunned as the T-Rex stood frozen in tree sap!

"What the hell just happened?" Dipper slowly rose up.

Toby cowered on the ground, unaware of what'd just occurred and he turned to see the creature's statue mere inches away from him! He scrambled back, stuttered in fear and bumped into someone behind him. "Who're you?"

"I am Quentin Trembly!" The President said proudly and ripped off his pants, revealing another pair underneath. "Ah! You're invention is quite fantastic, good sir!"

"Well, I'd always had that problem in the past, so it's good to help a fellow scientist out." McGucket said with a humble smile.

"McGucket? Trembly? What're you doing here?" Dipper stepped up to them, the others following slowly behind him. "And who's he?" He pointed at a third man with them.

"Hello, I'm Dr Cello, I've worked with Fiddleford before, so I'm sure you've heard of me." The man smiled.

"Uncle!" Lily shrieked and hugged the man.

"Uncle!?" Dipper and the others said in surprise.

"Yeah? I've never told you about it? He's a world-renowned scientist who first discovered inter-dimensional travel in San-Fransokyo." Lily grinned.

Dipper squinted, looking back and forth between Lily and Dr Cello. "Then why're you completely insane?"

"What're you talking about?" Lily blinked.

Dipper shook his head and turned to McGucket. "What're you doing here? How'd you know where to find us?"

"Well, when I'd encountered the portal a few days ago, I'd detected rips in space-time that were causing certain parts of the forest to rapidly age." McGucket began. "To combat this, I sought the help of Dr Cello and we wound up finding this bad boy." He tapped the frozen dinosaur. "I guess the sap holding the dinosaurs was one of the first things to decompose early."

"Then why'd you bring Quentin here?" Mabel asked.

"Because I know the recipe for the eternal brittle!" Quentin cried and produced a cannon dripping with peanut brittle. "And I funded the billion-dollar project to begin repairs on the earth's space thingy-majiggy."

"Extraordinary!" Lily said and turned to Dr Cello. "How exactly are you going to reverse the effects of the rip in space-time?"

Dr Cello began to explain and the two entered a hushed discussion, confusing Pacifica who just watched them exchange science jargon. "What the heck is happening?"

"Enough of this!" Trembly cried. "Let's send these giant lizards back where they came from!" He gave out cannons, preparing them for battle and he held up his own. "And make sure that my wife isn't cheating on me with a beaver again!"

"What?" Pacifica raised her brow.

"C'mon, let's go!" Dipper ran off, the others following after.

Toby trudged down the path, looking on as the others began shooting down dinosaurs in their path with their cannons. He creaked his back, ready to follow them when he heard eager footsteps coming toward him. "That was amazing!" A voice said.

Toby turned sharply and saw Shandra Jimenez behind him, looking at the frozen T-Rex excitedly. "Shandra? What're you doing here?"

"You told me to come here, didn't you?" Shandra replied. "To be honest, I didn't wanna come here after you wasted my time earlier, but this's truly amazing. You're a real hero!"

"I am?"

"You risked your lives to save those kids." Shandra said with grin, stepping forward. "I can't believe the dinosaurs you talked about were actually here." She walked up to the crystallized dinosaur, in awe of its great size.

"Yeah, I did mention that, huh?" Toby said, rubbing his head shyly.

"I have to get some reporters over here quick." Shandra produced her phone. "This's gonna be my big break."

Shandra walked off, hastily keying on her phone, and Toby watched her leave, unsure of what to do next. He tried to follow her, but followed the others instead.

* * *

TOBY WINCED as he heard reporters mutter behind him, having led through down a path for half an hour without seeing anything. Noticing their exasperated expressions, Shandra moved up to Toby, "Hey, are we any closer to where the T-Rex was?"

"We should be?" Toby said, pushing leaves aside as they entered a new path, only to find it empty.

The reporters groaned. "Look, we've got a job to do, okay? You called us here to see dinosaurs, so where are they?" A reporter asked.

"No, they're here, we just haven't reached -,"

"Pfft, can't believe you've gotten so desperate that you're now making shit up." A reporter said, lighting her cigarette. "C'mon, let's get outta here."

The crew began to leave, expressing their disgruntlement as they checked their watches. "No, wait!" Shandra tried to call them, huffing angrily and turning to Toby angrily. "Where'd the T-Rex go?"

"I don't know! We'd left it here yesterday after the kids coated them in peanut brittle." Toby said.

Shandra froze, blinking in confusing. She chuckled, "I can't believe I fucking fell for this shit. To think that a halfwit like you could stumble upon the find of the century that could put this town on the map. Musta been an elaborate joke."

"No, the dinosaurs were real, I swear." Toby pleaded.

"No, I'm done with this." Shandra started walking away. "You're nothing second-rate reporter. You've always been."

Toby's face fell in shame, Shandra's footsteps fading out of earshot as he was left alone in the footpath. Suddenly, a loud screech caught his ear. "What the?"

A pterodactyl swooped down and grabbed Toby, flying off into the air as the man whined in worry. "Oops! We missed one!" McGucket yelled as he looked up from the clean up area nearby.

"Now, how're we gonna keep this a secret from the townspeople if we let dinosaurs get away like that?" Quinten said.

"Don't worry, I'll get it." Dr Cello ran after the creature as it disappeared into the sky.

* * *

PACIFICA'S EYES sunk in the warm glow of the campfire before her, contemplating her thoughts as she sat amongst Mabel, Tom, Pete, Mitch, Mr Poolcheck, Lil' Gideon, Alfonse, Grenda, Lily and Dipper who sat beside her. Sitting up, she sighed an looked to the others. "Yeah, I got nothing."

"So, we literally just wasted our time today." Mitch said.

"Yup."

The others groaned, Lily chuckling as she sharpened a spoon with a whetstone. Pete raised her brow then ignored her. "Wait, what about the contest to see which team was better?"

"We got split in the middle of the night and Wendy didn't even bother to check on us." Mabel said.

"So, nobody won?" Dipper asked.

"Well, I proved I'm the strongest one here." Grenda flexed her muscles.

"Pfft, please." Tom scoffed.

Mabel sighed and cupped her chin in her hands, looking longingly at Alfonse and Tom who grew uncomfortable in her gaze. "What?" Alfonse asked.

"I can't decide who's hotter - the hot elf or the bad boy who's full of secrets." Mabel said.

"Wait, what?" Tom raised his brow.

"Ah, screw it, I don't care anymore! Take me, both of you!" Mabel yelled and ran after the boys.

Dipper squinted as Mabel chased the two, causing them to flee as she ran them into the woods nearby. He chuckled and looked around, seeing Mitch shudder as Lil Gideon tried to talk to him, Pete laugh as he watched Mabel run around, and Lily continued sharpening the spoon.

"Hey, you think Lily's just faking it with her whole weirdo schtick?" Dipper leaned in to Pacifica. "She did seem smart around her uncle earlier."

Pacifica looked at Dipper then at Lily as she took the spoon and tried to cut a large knife in half with it. "Yeah, she's just crazy."

Pacifica and Dipper laughed amongst themselves when Wendy called out from the campgrounds nearby. "Hey, Pacifica! Got a delivery for ya!"

Pacifica grew confused, but went up to her anyway. Wendy handed her an envelope and Pacifica looked at the stamp, recognizing the logo on it. "When'd you get it?"

"Just a few minutes ago." Wendy said. "Why, is something wrong?"

Pacifica opened the envelope and drew out a letter from within. She read the cursive text on it, her eyes widening with worry as she read it. Wendy looked at her curiously and saw the young girl's face fill with concern. "You okay?" Wendy asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Pacifica stuffed the letter in her pocked and quickly returned to the campfire, confusing Wendy.

Pacifica sat back down beside Dipper, staying silent as he and the others chattered loudly as she roasted food on the fire. Her eyes returned to the glow of the fire, her mind racing as she wondered why the letter had to come now.


	14. A Tale For Two

****A/N: And we're back with chapter 14! We're in the final stretch in the story which has honestly been the longest running book we've done – probably because we're such big Gravity Falls fans. Hope you enjoy and will read through to the end.****

 **A TALE FOR TWO**

* * *

PACIFICA'S EYES dragged over the page, her thoughts meshing the words before her as she sunk back into her mind. Dipper saw this and snapped her out of it. "Uh, Pacifica?"

"Yeah?" She shot up.

"Did you find the book I asked about? We were looking up the indigenous people of Gravity Falls, remember?"

"Oh yeah, right." She quickly returned to the book.

Dipper watched her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Pacifica nodded, placing the book back on the shelf as they searched through the library. Dipper wasn't convinced she was okay, but decided not to press on.

The two had been searching for hours in the library, combing through book after book in search for information on the indigenous people of the town. After finding little information about Merlin, they were determined to find what connections he had to the town and what he was doing there those millenia ago.

With those thoughts buzzing in his mind, Dipper couldn't help but wonder what was bothering Pacifica. Ever since she'd talked to Wendy the previous night, she was uncharacteristically quiet and it was starting to worry him. He stared at her intently when she called out to him. "Hey, Dipper, I found something."

"Huh? What is it?" He said and went up to the blond who was holding a large black book.

"I was looking through this old history book and I found this." She held the book to him, showing an illustration of a cave with symbols beside it.

"... And?"

"These are Alchemy symbols similar to those we'd found earlier!" Pacifica grinned. "These could have information about Merlin!"

Dippers brows stitched and he looked at the book closely, browsing through the text encircling the illustration. "It says it's an old cave where townsfolk used to dwell thousands of years ago. Why would they know Alchemy similar to Merlin?"

"Let's find out!" Excitement flared in Pacifica's eyes.

* * *

DIPPER SHUFFLED books around on his bed, looking for the right materials he'd need to translate whatever he'd find in the cave as he prepared to meet up with Pacifica in a few minutes. As he packed however, he failed to notice Tom who was seated on his bed across from his, watching the boy as he muttered to himself.

"Musta found something interesting, huh?" Tom said, causing Dipper to jump in surprise.

"What the!?" Dipper turned around. "Oh, it's just you." He went back to packing.

"Well, that was a lil mean." Tom stood and went up to him. "Where're you off to? Back to Ooo again?"

"The portal to that dimension is closed." Dipper said. "Or, I think it is, I dunno - Fiddleford knows more about it than I do."

"Then what's all this stuff for?" Tom asked, picking up an alchemy book.

"Pacifica and I found out about a cave in the woods where the town's ancestors used to live and their cave drawings had symbols similar to Merlin's."

"Well, that's big."

"It is. So we're gonna explore it right now." Dipper put on his satchel and grabbed the book from Tom. "I'll be back later." He headed for the door.

"Hey, lemme come with." Tom said, following him. "Whatever's in the cave could reveal what those wizards were after. Could possibly explain why they were calling me "Master" or whatever."

Dipper looked at him with suspicion. "Alright then." He said hesitantly opened the door. "Let's go."

* * *

MARY SHIELDED her face from the blinding sun above as she, Tom, Pacifica and Dipper made their way through the woods. Overwhelmed by the smell of the animals nearby and rubbing her arm at the sting of insects, she grumbled to herself. "Well, I sure did miss this place."

"Where were you actually?" Pacifica asked. "It's been almost a week."

"Yeah, Star and I had a blast - you guys shoulda come with."

"You probably wouldn't wanna be there." Tom said.

"Oh, you were just being prude." Mary teased.

"Star. Threw. Money at me!" Tom yelled.

"Quit it, you guys! We don't know what could be lurking out here." Dipper said. "This's important and we shouldn't screw this up."

"What connection would Merlin have with this town anyway?" Mary quickly put on a jacket to keep the bugs off.

"I don't know, but there's too much evidence pointing towards him being here." Dipper said. "From the cryptic book in the cabin, to the information about beings called "Gems" from a "Home World"; there's so much more going on in this town and I think he could be connected to all of this in some way."

"What if we're going on a wild goose chase here?" Tom pocketed his hands.

"It can't be - too many things point to each other." Dipper said. "If we find out more about what's going on here, we could even find out what my Uncle Ford's letter was actually saying."

"If you say so." Tom shrugged.

Dipper opened the book they'd gotten from the library and tried to assess how far they were from the cave. As he did so, he noticed Pacifica's expression fall like it had before, concerning him again as he wondered what could be bothering her. Not wanting to pry however, he returned to the book.

The four roamed the woods for half an hour, coming across different places they'd been through the past month and keeping a distance as they saw Mount Camp where the Devilknight Ogres hid out. Coming out of a patch of forest, the kids came up to a cave near a riverbank, one that matched the illustration as Dipper quickly crosschecked.

"This is it!" Dipper grinned.

"Yeah, it sure is." Pacifica said, unable to feign excitement.

"Well, let's find out what those wizard guys were looking for." Tom walked up to the cave, Mary following closely behind.

"Hey, don't just rush in, that cult could be here too." Dipper ran after Tom.

"And what're they gonna do to me?" Tom sneered and exuded a red aura from his arm. "I've taken down whatever they've thrown at us before - they're probably hiding away by now."

"We still don't know what we could be getting into." Dipper looked around. "We should be careful and move in together."

"C'mon, Dipper, what could possibly be in there? Some kinda monster or something?" Tom chuckled and entered the cave with Mary.

"Tom, wai -,"

A loud crash came from within the cave, dust and rocks flying out right after and worrying Dipper as he looked in. Sharing a look, Pacifica and Dipper quickly rushed into the cave and looked around, shocked as they saw no signs of a crash anywhere. And neither were Tom and Mary!

"Mary? Tom?" Pacifica called out and looked around. "Are you guys okay?"

Dipper squinted as he eyed the walls around them, turning back to the cave entrance only to find that it was gone! "Uh, Pacifica …"

Pacifica turned to Dipper when lights flickered behind her. Looking back, the two tensed up as a row of lamps apparated on either wall of the cave, lighting their way into the darkness up ahead. They froze in place, unsure of what to do and unaware of the eyes that slowly opened above their heads.

* * *

DUST CAME down in strips from the cave roof above, along with rumbling that rattled the walls as Tom and Mary were stuck in a hallway that headed downward. "Well, shit, Dipper was right - something did happen." Tom said nonchalantly.

"Y'know, you could've listened to him a lil before we ended up in this mess." Mary said.

"Well, you followed me here, so you didn't listen to him either, did you?" Tom walked off, annoying Mary.

"You can be a real asshole sometimes, you know that?" Mary followed him, getting angry.

"What? Pfft! As if, I'm just comfortable in my own skin." Tom chuckled. "And besides, we're not hurt, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Well, I hope so." Mary rubbed her arms, looking around in worry.

"Now, all we need to do is just find our way outta this cave and find Dipper and Pacifica." Tom said. "Y'know, it freaking sucks that they don't allow phones around here cuz it'd really make things a lot easier for us. Ya think Dipper or Pacifica snuck one here?" He pocketed his hands as he went on, hearing the dripping of water nearby and waiting for Mary's reply. "Mary?"

Tom stopped and turned around. "Mary?" She wasn't there behind him! "Mary?"

Tom ran back and started to panic, looking around only to hear muffled screams coming from above. He looked up and saw Mary pressed against the ceiling above with large cobwebs strung around her. Summoning his red fire, Tom fired blasts and tore Mary out of the web, swiftly catching her as she fell back down.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Mary breathed heavily as she clutched onto him.

"How'd you get caught up there?" Tom raised his brow.

"There was a claw and it grabbed me and it -," Mary whimpered, unable to finish explaining. "What was that?"

Tom looked up to the cave's roof. "It looks like some kinda spider web." He looked at the web as it stretched for meters across. "What the hell coulda made a web this big?"

* * *

BATS SCREEHED and lashed out as they swarmed around Dipper and Pacifica who ran down the cave trying to escape. Seeing an opening to their left, Dipper grabbed Pacifica's hand and dove into it, avoiding the creatures that sped past and falling into another room. Rolling down the hard rocks and coming to a stop, the two strained to their feet and looked around, finding that they were in a room with green crystals lining the walls.

"Well, at least we got away from those things." Dipper said hissing at the gash on his elbow. Pacifica whimpered as she tried to stand and Dipper turned to her, seeing her clamping her leg in pain. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, I just sprained my ankle." Pacifica said, trying to mask the injury.

Dipper came up to her and saw her reddened skin. "Can you stand?"

"Pfft, of course I can stand, c'mon." Pacifica scoffed, pushing herself up.

The girl stood up with a slight limp, pulling a smile to deter Dipper's worried gaze, and tried to step forward, only to fall over. "Whoa!" Dipper quickly caught her. "What happened?"

Pacifica writhed as he helped her stand. "I think I sprained my ankle when we escaped those bats."

"Well, we'll need to find some help quickly." Dipper said and began to lift her.

"Wait, what're you doing!?" Pacifica yelled in surprised.

"Helping you up - you shouldn't be putting weight on that leg." Dipper piggybacked her, not noticing Pacifica blush as she sunk back. "If only I carried a First Aid kit or knew a spell that could heal you in an instant."

"Dipper, I'll be fine, it's just a scratch."

"We'll need to get outta here either way." Dipper looked around. "Now, how do we get out anyway?"

"It's too bad my phone can't get any bars in this damn place." Pacifica said.

"You brought a phone? I thought they didn't allow them here?"

"The heck do I care about the rules they have at camp." Pacifica scoffed. "I make my own rules."

"I wonder if we can make it back to camp like this." Dipper tried to think. "We may end up stuck here for days without an idea of where to go."

Pacifica frowned slightly. "Well, it's better than going back."

"What was that?" Dipper asked when a low rumbling cut him off.

The ceiling above them shook and broke apart as a giant insect came crashing down! Dipper leapt out of the way, letting the creature land with a loud thud.

He stepped back, looking through the cloud of dust as the creature's silhouette rose off the ground. Stretching out to three meters with eight legs and tapering up to a muscular humanoid torso with clawed arms and a jaw with pincers, the giant scorpion screeched and rushed out at the two, ready to attack.

Dipper jumped out of the way, letting creature break through a wall instead and accidentally letting go of Pacifica who fell on the ground across from him. Dipper quickly came to her side and picked her up again as the creature recuperated.

"We can't fight this thing!" Dipper frowned and tried to think. "Man, you're heavier than you look."

"What!?" Pacifica said in a near scream.

The scorpion lunged at them again and Dipper evaded it, watching it lash around as it banged against a wall. It looked like it was blind, only reacting to sound as Dipper had thought as it tried to listen for them. Dipper stepped back and the creature lurched, looking for the noise.

If it was that perceptive to sound, there'd be no way of continuing this keep away game. Without access to his journal because he was carrying Pacifica, he had no spells and couldn't put the creature down. What was he to do?

"Dipper, why're you just standing there?" Pacifica asked loudly.

"Shit."

The scorpion wailed and spat acid at them, narrowly missing as Dipper jumped away and eroding the wall behind him. Dipper came to a stop a few feet away and saw light coming from the hole the beast had made. He looked to the creature as it moved aimlessly again.

"You're a genius, Pacifica!" Dipper grinned.

"I am? I mean, pfft," She flicked her hair aside. "Of course I am."

The creature heard them and came charging after. Dipper stood in place, somewhat taunting the beast as it approached and he leapt away at the last second, letting it smash into a rock and get stuck in it. Looking at the creature struggle, Dipper saw the opportunity and went after the wall the monster had eroded.

The wall was still coated in the acid, causing Dipper to hesitate as he came up to it when the scorpion screeched again. Pushing his worries aside, Dipper squeezed his way into the hole, his legs and arms rubbing against the acid and singing his shirt and jeans as he went through. Biting his lip in pain, he forced himself in, falling into a tiny, dark space with Pacifica and cutting his knee on his way in.

He hissed in pain, but silenced himself as he heard the scorpion free itself in the adjacent room. He calmed down and set Pacifica down, openning his bag and grabbing the journal.

"That was close." Pacifica said.

"Yeah, but the creature could find us any second - I need to think of a way to get outta here fast."

* * *

THEIR FOOTSTEPS echoed as Mary and Tom went through the cave, shrouding Mary's thoughts as she followed behind Tom who seemed to enjoy their situation oddly. Her mind drifted back to the spider's web, haunted by the possibility that giant arachnids were sprawling the cave they were in. Suddenly, Tom's voice cut her thoughts.

"Well, look what we have here!" He said as he went up to the mouth of a new path.

Mary moved up to him and looked over his shoulder, shuddering as she saw a nest of spider eggs down below! "What the hell!?"

"I guess I thought right." The boy cracked his knuckles and summoned his red aura. "Time to take out these bugs."

"Tom, wait -,"

Tom jumped into the cluster, drawing the attention of the giant creatures as they all turned to him. Raising his fist and taunting the insects, the boy charged and crashed into the monsters, ensuing a violent brawl. Mary watched on, neither in awe or concern, but anger.

Tom bore through the horde of insects, snapping limbs, bashing heads and sending the creatures flying as he flung them around. With a blazing fist, he send out a wave and charred the oncoming creatures, causing the other spiders to hesitate as he stood amid the flames. Cackling through the smoke, he leapt in again, pummeling the creatures and making the others flee.

Mary jumped down, her fear of the bugs overcome by a fit of rage as she bee-lined for the boy and spun him round furiously. "Huh!?" Tom said ready to fight, when he realized, "Oh, it's just you." He returned to fighting.

"Just me? Well, geez, I'm sorry I disturbed you!" Mary crossed her arms.

"Wha …" Tom tossed a spider aside.

"I thought this was supposed to be a team effort, but you're just up and ignoring me." Mary sulked.

"What're you talking about?" Tom asked and shot an energy blast at spiders behind him, chuckling as they burned.

"That! You're just so focused on fighting all the time and you never listen to me!"

"I'm fighting 'em so we can take out that spider that created the web." He walked up to her.

"Just forget it!" Mary grunted and stormed off.

Tom stood there, confused, but shrugged it off and followed her.

* * *

DIPPER SCRAPPED two stones together and lit a pile stacked twigs and vines afire, lighting up their small hole. He went up to Pacifica who was rested by a wall and he touched her ankle, making sure the splint he'd put held up. "Does it hurt?"

"Not as much. Thanks." Pacifica said.

Dipper sat back and grabbed his journal. "I don't know how badly hurt you are, but it should help you heal." He looked around the cave.

He turned to the small flame, watching it eat up the twigs and as it grew, making the walls of the cave light up. Dipper shot up and watched the luminescence, seeing runes and symbols appear all over the cave's walls. "There's writing in here!" He turned to Pacifica. "It could be related to Merlin!" Pacifica smiled slightly, not answering him and failing to mask her worry. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I told you, I'm fine." Pacifica said, avoiding eye contact.

Dipper reluctantly backed off and opened his Grimoire, ready to scan the symbols when Pacifica spoke. "Do you ever think about the future?"

"Huh?" He turned to her.

"Well, I mean … do you wonder where're you'll be in a few years, after school and things like that?"

Dipper sifted his mind and sat back down. "I've … well, I've been really interested in exploring the unknown - magic and strange creatures, but I don't know if I can really do it. My uncle went off on his own adventures and I don't wanna leave Mabel behind if I just up and went on my own now." He looked to the glowing writing around him. "But I know there's more to my life than just doing what everyone else has done before. I wanna be something more."

Pacifica looked at him, at the warmth and excitement in his eyes. "At least you have a choice."

"What do you mean?"

Pacifica shook herself out of it and looked to the walls. "So, what do you think the symbols mean?"

"Well, I have to scan them in and cross-reference them in the Grimoire." Dipper said as he drew out the Grimoire. "I can't recognize this writing, but I have a feeling it'll be something important."

Pacifica watched him as he scanned the walls, sinking back into her own thoughts that were filled with uncertainty.

* * *

TOM KICKED a spider down the hall, watching it topple down the path. He dusted himself and turned to Mary with a smug grin. "Bet we're getting closer to whatever made that web. Bet we can find the others and get outta here too."

The two continued down the hall and Tom glanced back at Mary, seeing her look away from him in anger. He was curious as to what she was thinking when a loud thud up ahead grabbed his attention. A large spider pounced on Tom, catching him off guard as he barely dodged it.

The creature clawed at him and he grabbed its arm, pushing it back and knocking it onto the ground. The spider swung at the wall of the cave, chucking rocks at Tom who smashed them with swift punches. He failed to see a stray rock bounce behind him and hit Mary in the arm, scraping her shoulder. Tom quickly dispatched the spider with an energy blast and turned to see Mary clasping her arm in pain.

"Whoa, Mary, you okay?" Tom rushed to her side and she knocked his arm aside.

"Oh, now you freaking care? You only pay attention when I get hurt, huh?" She frowned.

"What does that even mean?"

"If you'd just listen to me for five seconds, we could find our way outta here, but no! All you wanna do is fight a buncha fucking spiders!"

"Wha - I was fighting them so we can find the others and take out the spider that made that web! Whaddaya want me to do instead?" Tom raised his brow.

"Ugh, just forget it!" Mary stormed off.

"No, no, no, that's bullshit." Tom pulled her back. "This whole time, you've just been mad at me for no freaking reason! What else do you want me to do? Should I've just let the creatures attack us?"

"I said forget it!" Mary yanked her arm away and left, muttering to herself. "You're such a fucking asshole!"

"Yeah, well be that way! I don't need any a' this!" Tom yelled and walked off in a separate direction.

Mary sulked as she walked away from Tom, her mind flooding with thoughts and emotion, making her fail to notice a fifteen-foot tall spider watching her from the ceiling above. It raised one of its limbs that dripped with hot poison and aimed it at her.

* * *

DIPPER AND Pacifica moved around the small space in the cave, reading the symbols and writings on the wall that illuminated the area. Dipper scanned the last of them into the Grimoire and Pacifica looked closely at the inscriptions, curious, but confused as to what they meant. She turned to Dipper, "Have you translated them yet?"

"Yeah, it's just the same as before." Dipper flipped through the Grimoire's interface. "It simply mentions Merlin being here, stuff about Gems and a "Home World", but doesn't explain what he actually did. Guess the locals were just as lost as we were." He shut off the Grimoire. "The only new thing is that it references constellations."

"What does it say?"

"That the 'Big and Little Dipper are Champions of Valar' - whatever that means." Dipper crossed his arms. "I feel like I've heard the word "Valar" somewhere, but I can't put my finger on it."

"Could it have anything to do with the tattoo and your birthmark?" Pacifica lifted her hand, showing him the dipper constellation tattoo on the back of it.

"I dunno, it could mean a lot of different things really." He said, "They could be talking about the very stars in a spell, or something else entirely. We're gonna have to keep searching I guess." He huffed and leaned against the wall when it suddenly opened and sent the two sliding down a platform right out of the small room!

The two skidded to a stop and groaned as they tried to pull themselves up, Dipper helping Pacifica stand with her hurt ankle, and they looked on to see a massive nest of giant spider's eggs splayed all over! The two were gripped with fear as they looked on, sharing a look and non-verbally agreeing to stay quiet.

Dipper piggybacked Pacifica again, carefully walking along the wall they were on that encircled the spider's nest below. He aimed for an open path out of the area when an egg nearby loudly burst open, revealing a large slimy arachnid that screeched and lashed about. This drew the attention of the other insects and out of nowhere came a giant spider with a scorpion-like abdomen that broke through a wall near Dipper and Pacifica.

"Goddammit!" Dipper cried and ran the cave's exit when the rocks beneath him broke and sent him and Pacifica tumbling down into the spider's nest below.

The hatchlings encricled the pair who backed toward a wall and were cornered. Dipper thought quickly and drew out his journal, casting a spell, "Turbine Ignis!", He yelled, summoning a light mandala and firing a giant whirlwind of fire that engulfed the spiders before him.

The creatures recuperated and Dipper saw the opportunity, quickly picking up Pacifica and running up the slope of damaged rock they'd fallen from. They made it out of the nest into another path, hearing the spiders clamoring toward them from behind. He looked left and right as he sped down the seemingly closed off hall when he saw a mesh of vine to his left.

He turned back and saw the mass of arachnids racing toward them, lining every inch of the wall and ceiling of the path. He punched into the plants, squeezing his way through and entering into another part of the cave covered in greenery. He turned around, looking on in fear at the hole he'd made in the plants when they suddenly closed up. The monsters came up to the vines on the other side, violently scratching at it and failing to break through.

They waited there for a few moments, anticipating their breaking through and Dipper holding on to his journal when the noises stopped. The spider's had left! "Oh, thank God." Dipper huffed and walked onward, only to step into a pile of green goo. "What the?" He looked forward, seeing the same sticky substance splashed all over the path.

"This's another spider's nest isn't it?" Pacifica's brows stitched.

"No, it can't be." Dipper tried to deny this.

"No, no, I saw this same kind of goo in the nest we'd just left!" Pacifica began to pant. "They're coming! They're gonna find us and we're trapped in here because of these vines!"

"Pacifica, calm down."

"We're gonna die in here!"

"Whoa, whoa, Pacifica, relax." Dipper said, sitting her down at a wall of the cave. "I can get us out of here, alright?" He pulled out his journal. "All I need to do is find a spell and we can make our way out of here. I'll just need a few minutes and we'll escape from here.

"Oh, what does it matter!" Pacifica balled up. "We don't even know where we are, we could be miles away from camp for all we know."

"Pacifica." He held her down, looking her in the eye. "I won't let anything happen to you. I'll get us out of here and we'll get back to camp, I promise."

Pacifica looked back at him and begun to tear up, falling to his chest and holding him tight. He embraced her and looked around, wondering how he'd get them out of this mess.

* * *

"I DON'T listen? What typa crap is that?" Tom scoffed. "Knew I'd be getting a headache messing with girls, but 'no!', I just had to." He huffed and walked on when he heard a bloodcurdling scream behind him. "Mary?" He looked around and heard the sound again. "Mary!"

He sprinted back down the hall, racing through the path he'd taken and going back to where Mary had gone at top speed. He saw spider webbing all over the walls and broken rock indicating a struggle. He feared the worst and sped on when he saw a human skull on the ground.

He stopped and looked at it for a while when he heard Mary to his left and saw her trapped in a giant web! "Tom! -" She cried when the massive acidic spider crawled down and webbed her mouth shut.

"You son of a bitch!" Tom charged up his fists when he stepped into a pile of goo and got stuck in the ground.

Mary screamed as the spider came down, eyeing her body and drooling as it decided what to eat first. Tom struggled and fell over, getting more and more stuck in the goo that begun to pull him in. He tried to rip it apart, only making it pull him down further and he looked at Mary who barely moved, seeing the purple veins pulsating up her body and making him realize she was paralyzed.

He sunk further into the goo, unable to muscle his way through and he watched Mary helplessly as the spider drew closer. The creature crept up on her and slashed her arm with its sharp leg and Tom lost it, his fiery aura blazing throughout his body.

Tom erupted in red fire and burned through the goo, shooting up into the air and summoning a gigantic fireball over his fist. He fired the energy, sending it washing over Mary and the spider and destroying the rocks and a massive part of the cave behind them. Mary shut her eyes as the flames went over her, realizing that they didn't even hurt her at all.

She looked onward and Tom came to her side, picking her up and laying her carefully on the ground. She turned to where the web was and saw the massive hole Tom had burned through the cave and she looked up to him, seeing the worry in his eyes as he looked at her arms.

"What'd that thing do to you?" He began to panic.

"It threw some acid at me and," Mary tried to push herself up. "I think it paralyzed me a little." She huffed. "But I'll be fine."

"I'm sorry, if I'd been here, this wouldn't have happened." Tom said.

"I can take care of myself, you know?" Mary sat up. "But, I'm sorry too - I didn't mean to blow up like that."

"What've I done though?" Tom sat beside her. "I mean, maybe I've been a lil caught up with fights, but I'm not ignoring you."

Mary huffed, "I just … I just feel like I'm behind, y'know? You have all these cool powers and you're flying right into danger and all I do is watch." She looked at her hands. "I have powers too, but they just don't come as easy to me and I feel like … I feel like you'd just fly off and never come back."

Tom paused for a moment, seeing the worry in Mary's eyes as she clenched her fists looked away from him, "Mary, I'm fighting so that I can protect you - I'm not doing this for myself. Even though I charge right in, I'm afraid sometimes because I don't know if I can handle it all. If I reacted a second later with that spider, you'd be gone. I don't know what I'd do if that happened."

Mary turned back to him, giving a small smile. "Well, guess we're both irrationally afraid, huh?"

"Well, it's not like it's just a cakewalk." Tom huffed. "Aliens, intergalactic beings, spiders - who knows what could end up killing us one of these days."

"Well, that doesn't matter." Mary said and held his hand, looking him in the eye. "We're a team, okay? And no matter what happens, no matter how long it takes for me to learn my powers, nothing is gonna stop us." She grinned and charged white energy through her hand.

Tom nodded. "Deal."

The two sat back and looked around, Mary laying her head into Tom's shoulder as they enjoyed the silence for a bit. Mary huffed. "Now how the fuck are we gonna get outta this place?"

A wall exploded nearby, sending rocks flying as Dipper was flung through the air and crashed on the ground. He pushed himself up, fighting the pain as blood trickled down his lip and he squinted through the cloud of dust. "Pacifica … Pacifica!" He tried to stand and fell to his knees.

"Dipper!" Tom rushed to his side when he saw Pacifica crawling on the ground.

"Help!" She cried and a spider grabbed her leg.

"Get away from her!" Tom blasted the spider with fireball and lifted Pacifica, moving up to Dipper.

Mary watched this from where she sat and saw an endless number of spiders barreling towards them. Fighting the pain, she rushed towards the hole in the wall and created a white energy shield, blocking the creatures. "Tom, how's Dipper doing?"

"He's conscious, but …" Tom looked at Dipper, seeing blood dampen his shirt. "He's losing a lotta blood!"

"Well, try to patch him up somehow, I'm gonna -," A spider broke through the wall right outside the shield and smacked her aside.

Tom put Pacifica down and swung his arm, sending out a wave of fire that burned the spiders. More came right after. "Son of a bitch."

Tom shot down spiders as they came, burning them instantly on impact only for several more to take their place. They drew closer and he started to punch them away, unable to block them all as the others came rushing towards Dipper, Pacifica and Mary. Dipper panted and saw the army of monsters coming toward him, unsure of what to do when a bright light came from their right.

"Hold, foul beasts!" Alfonse cried and shot a volley of energy arrows that destroyed the spiders clamoring around the four.

Wendy rushed in behind him, swinging her axe high and hacking the ground, destroying the rocks and swallowing the spiders into a massive abyss. Mabel slid in right after and held her necklace, summoning its telekinetic power and sending rocks into the abyss, burying the monsters alive.

"Wendy?" Tom raised his brow.

"Dipper, I'm glad you're okay!" Wendy ran up to him, followed by Mabel and Alfonse.

"How'd you find us?" Tom asked.

"I am a good tracker." Alfonse said.

"Of course you are," Dipper grunted.

"Good thing we came here just in time." Mabel looked at the four. "You'd be dead if we weren't here in time." She saw Pacifica. "Oh, you're here." The blonde snarled at her.

"C'mon, we gotta get outta here quickly before more of those bugs get in here." Wendy held up her axe.

"Let me just administer some quick aid." Alfonse opened his satchel, drawing out potions. "They'll bleed out if we don't treat their wounds immediately."

"Okay, I'll keep watch." Wendy walked up to the abyss.

Alfonse quickly went to work, attending to Dipper first as he was bleeding out the most. Pacifica watched this as it happened, seeing Dipper slip in and out of consciousness. She huffed and sifted her mind, realizing that she needed to let him know what was going on.

* * *

DIPPER, MABEL, Wendy, Alfonse, Tom and Mary walked through the forest half an hour later, finally away from the cave and moments away from camp. They enjoyed the sunset as it shone over the skies ahead and chatted on to pass the time. Pacifica however was still troubled and she grabbed Dipper's hand.

"Dipper, I gotta talk to you about something."

"Okay, what?" He turned to her.

"Alone." Pacifica said sternly.

"Uh…" He looked to the others. "Uh, guys, we're just gonna take a lil shortcut - we'll meet ya at camp."

"Shortcut?" Mabel's brow curved and she turned to Dipper and Pacifica who turned into another path. "What shortcu -,"

"Okay, Dipper, we'll find ya there!" Wendy said quickly, pulling Mabel aside.

"What're they -," Wendy shushed Mabel and walked on with the others.

Dipper looked around curiously as Pacifica pulled him into a different direction - Mabel's voice deadening out of earshot and leaving them in the seclusion of the woods. Pacifica stopped suddenly and looked around, peaking Dipper's confusion as he watched her.

"Is something wrong?" Dipper asked.

Pacifica sighed and looked around, deciding to come out with it. "Dipper, I'm leaving."

"Leaving?"

"I got a letter from my parents yesterday and they want me to go back home tomorrow." She said.

"How come? Camp isn't over yet." Dipper squinted.

"I don't know what's happening, but … I don't think I'll be coming back any time soon."

Dipper hesitated. "Pacifica, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry, Dipper," Pacifica held his hand and pressed her lips against his, leaving with tears welling up in her.

Dipper remained where he was, confused as the blonde disappeared into the woods. "Pacifica?"


	15. Weirdmageddon Phase 2 - Prologue

****WEIRDMAGEDDON PHASE 2: PROLOGUE****

"You're leaving so early? Why?" Jerry's brows stitched.

"It's just some family stuff, it's not a big deal." Pacifica said, glancing back at her chauffeur who was loading her luggage in the limo nearby.

"Well, guess we'll be seeing ya." Tom waved and walked off.

Dipper wasn't convinced. "But, why did this have to come up all of a sudden and why do you have to leave immediately?"

"I told you, it's no big deal." Pacifica said, avoiding eye contact.

Dipper looked around and walked Pacifica away from Jerry who begun to mutter to himself and grow paranoid as usual. "But, what was last night all about?" Dipper said in a low tone.

"Wha? I-I don't know what you're talking about." Pacifica blushed.

"You kissed me! And you're just up and leaving? What's going on?" Dipper said, trying to keep his voice down.

"I told you it's no big deal, I -,"

"Well, I just told Mr Poolcheck and while he's not happy to let a camper go, he understands what's happening." Wendy said as she walked out of the camp manager's office.

"Thanks." Pacifica grabbed her bag and headed for the limo.

"You sure everything's fine?" Wendy asked.

"I'm fine, really, I'm just going back home is all." Pacifica said, faking a smile.

"So, this's it then?" Dipper said, holding Pacifica's hand. "You're not coming back?"

Pacifica tried to speak, but hesitated, not sure of what exactly to say. She embraced him tightly and walked off, leaving the boy confused again. Wendy stood by, unsure of whether to say anything or not, and watched as the blonde entered the limo and the driver started it up.

Pacifica turned to her window and looked at Dipper one last time before the driver drove off camp. Dipper watched the vehicle leave, his mind flying with thoughts and questions. Wendy went up to the boy and patted his shoulder, leaving without a word and returning to her work.

Something was wrong, he could feel it.

* * *

DIPPER ENTERED the mess hall that afternoon, journal in hand, with his eyes glazing over the floor as he moved past people and floated over to a table. His mind buzzed over what was going on with Pacifica, recounting how troubled she was and how she claimed nothing mattered back in the cave.

Opening the book, he browsed through notes he'd taken on previous days and went back and forth between it and the journal, trying to figure out if there's something he missed. "Ya lookin' for somethin'?"

Dipper jumped with a start, only to notice Mabel standing behind him. The girl laughed. "Whoa, sorry I freaked you out. You look really serious for some reason."

"Leave me alone, Mabel."

"How'd last night go with Pacifica? Did she say something that upset you or did you two hit it off," She shuddered. "The thought still grosses me out."

"Pacifica's gone, Mabel; she left half an hour ago." Dipper said as he read on.

"Wow, how bad a kisser are you that she had to straight up bolt outta camp." She crossed her arms and scoffed. "Bet ya really needed the talk with Grunkle Stan more than I did."

"Mabel, will you just leave! This's serious." Dipper grew irritated.

Mabel's smile quickly died down as she watched Dipper hastily flip through the book. "You know, you're being paranoid, right? Not everything has to be paranormal." She walked off.

Dipper ignored her and continued reading, having a feeling in his gut that something was wrong.

* * *

PACIFICA SAT alone in the backseat of the lavish vehicle, waiting for the drive to be finally over as she heard the gates open on the outside. Swerving around the mid-garden fountain, the limo came to a halt and the chauffeur opened her door, welcoming her to the grandiose Northwest manor.

The place felt , large, grand and oddly suffocating as she went down the walkway, moving down the spectacular shrubbery that lead to the large oak wood door of the building. Entering the foyer, she felt immediately small - the massive oval concourse and pillars spreading around her increasing her sense of dread that she had returned home. She was also confused.

"Ah, Pacifica, you've arrived!" Preston, Pacifica's father, bellowed as he came down the steps with her mother.

"We're so glad you made it back safely, dear." Preston's wife said.

"Uh, when'd we get money to afford all this?" She looked around. "I thought we'd gone bankrupt."

"Oh come now, darling, you didn't really think we'd live a lowly life like the rest of the godawful people in that town, did you?" Preston walked up to her. "We're Northwests, we always make our way on top." Pacifica frowned at this.

"Now, why don't go and freshen up - you reek of the forest." Her mother held her nose up. "God, why did we even let her go there."

"But, I freshened up before I got here -,"

"Uh, uh, uh," Preston rang the bell, "Listen to your mother; go on and change. You're back home now, you need to be respectable."

Pacifica huffed and made her way up the stairs, leaving her chauffeur behind as she wondered the halls and looked for her bedroom. Entering the hallway, she saw a door on her left with her name on it, entering the room and finding it extravagantly decorated in purple and hot pink. She smiled at this on instinct, enjoying the peppered up look, but her smile died down almost immediately.

She looked around the room, remembering her room on camp and remembering her time with her campmates. She drew out her phone and flipped through her pictures - the pictures of the forestry she'd gone through, places on camp, selfies of her friends - and she scrolled on, stopping on a picture she'd taken of Dipper. A smile adorned her face as she looked at the photo, memories flooding in when she suddenly snapped herself out of it.

She sighed, "C'mon, Pacifica, leave it all behind." She put her phone away. "We're back home and we're not going back."

* * *

THAT AFTERNOON, Pacifica sat with her parents in the dining hall and had their first meal as a family in a long time. Pacifica sat with her head in her hand as she moved her fork through her food, unaware of what she was doing as her mind was somewhere else.

"Pacifica, what did I say about elbows on the table?" Her mother said sternly.

"Sorry, mom," Pacifica moved her hand away.

"Good."

The meal continued, but Pacifica remained silent, having not taken a bite and still lazily dragging her fork around. Preston noticed this. "Is something wrong, Pacifica?"

"No, dad, I'm fine," Pacifica said, not looking at him.

Preston wasn't convinced, but he continued anyway. "So … how was your time at the camp? Must have been dreadful having to live amongst the dirty poor people."

"Well, actually I -," Pacifica cut herself off, her smile quickly dying. "Yes, yes it was."

Preston glanced at his wife and cleared his throat. "Well, I brought this up because you had shown curiosity about how we'd reclaimed our monetary status." He paused, hoping she'd chime in. She didn't. "Well, you must know that it was without some maneuvering - we'd lost quite a bit of our credibility with friends we had worked with and had to use some … new methods." Pacifica was still silent.

"Your father and I entered an agreement with a secret organization and we feel that you should know about it." Her mother said.

"A secret organization? What're you talking about?" Pacifica sat up.

"We've begun working with a secret group called the Society of the Eye of Providence headed by a man named Michael Nihil." Preston said. "We'll be meeting tonight, and we'd like for you to be present."

* * *

DIPPER SLURPED his drink and quickly went back to flipping through his journal, going over notes of Merlin, the Lich and the Gems of Home World - wondering why he hadn't thrown that away yet - and he continued searching when he came across a snippet of an article referring to the Northwests. He picked it up and read through it; it was about the job he'd taken dealing with the Lumber Ghost.

He went over it, not thinking much of it and he paused when a picture of Pacifica came up. He looked over it for a bit, his thoughts of concern welling as he looked at the blonde stand beside her parents, trying to mask her discomfort with them. He went on when he noticed something in the background of the image. There was an alchemy symbol on the wall!

He recognized it and quickly scanned it into the Grimoire, flipping through the symbols he'd collected over the summer. He went through and found that it had appeared on both the Bill and Merlin seals he'd found in Ooo and the cabin in the woods respectively. He searched for it in the notes he'd taken from the library and saw it again in the history of Gravity Falls.

Decades ago in the town's inception, there was a secret society that helped build much of the town's infrastructure. The society, unknown to the locals, was called the High Society of the Eye of Providence and it was run by a man named Michael Nihil. "Oh no…"

* * *

PRESTON FLIPPED a switch, illuminating the narrow stairway that led to the dark below their house. Pacifica stood between him and her mother and quickly became uncomfortable. "Uh, where're we going?"

"We're going to meet our good friend Mr. Nihil it will be good if we meet as soon as possible." Preston said. "Now, come along."

The girl hesitantly followed the two as they descended down the steps. She began to wonder what was going on, having a strange feeling she'd heard that name before, but failing to remember exactly. Their journey was cut short as they'd already reached the bottom of the stairwell. However, when she looked around, it looked completely different.

"Um, what happened?" She turned to Preston.

"We've arrived!" He smiled and went up to a large door. "Come now; let me introduce you to our partners."

Preston opened the door and led Pacifica and his wife into a large and dark spherical room that spread out before them. Several platforms lined the walls around them on which strange masked men looked down at them with a cold gaze. The walls themselves were covered in magic symbols, runes and satanic symbols that all tapered down to the center of the room. At the center lay a large pit on which a rounded platform hovered. There stood Deming and Nihil.

"You!" Pacifica frowned. "I knew I heard that name somewhere." She backed away from her parents. "You're … you're working with him?"

"You have met before?" Preston asked.

"It was merely a misunderstanding, Ms Northwest." Nihil said, walking across the small bridge that went over the pit toward her. "We meant you no harm."

"You tried to kill us!"

"My men were a little enthusiastic - what were are doing is important after all."

"What are you doing exactly?" Pacifica looked around.

"We're trying to elevate the status of humanity and the Northwests are a very important part in that." Nihil smiled. "We'd put them back into the financial elite and we'd like to do the same for everyone else."

"No, no, this is wrong." Pacifica turned to Preston. "You can't believe him, father, this isn't for the good of us or anyone else for that matter."

"Can you not see with your own eyes, Pacifica - we're back on top; we're living the life of luxury!" Preston grinned.

"At what cost?! Lying and scheming is what ruined our reputation in the first place!" Pacifica frowned.

"Believe us, Pacifica, what we're doing now is different - we've changed, I promise you." Her mother said.

Pacifica stopped for a second and wondered. "Wait, why're you telling me all this? You've never told me how you've made money before."

"I'm glad you asked!" Nihil smiled. "The thing is … you're the most important part of our plan."

"Wha-what plan?" Pacifica stuttered when it began to hit her. Looking around at the symbols, the masked men, the rounded platform and the pit, it donned on her. "Wait …"

"Come now, Pacifica, don't make this harder than it needs to be." Preston walked up to her.

Pacifica ran off and slid between Preston's legs, heading for the door when Deming suddenly stopped her telekinetically. Deming swiveled her hand and turned Pacifica around, summoning a small magic circle and shooting it at the blonde. Pacifica passed out.

* * *

DIPPER'S HAND raced across the page as he wrote down symbols he'd been scanning since the start of summer and as he went on, he found an alchemy symbol that reminded him of Uncle Ford's letter. Rummaging through his bag, he pulled out the letter that'd been crumbled by the books he'd been carrying.

He unfolded the paper and looked at the different sequences and encryptions written on it. He hadn't realized it yet, but he could understand most of it now. Cross-referencing it with the archives of the Grimoire, symbols he'd gotten from the library and encryptions from the cabin in the woods, he was finally able to decrypt the letter.

Writing down the remaining portion of the letter, he read " _ _We're being followed, I don't know how many they are or what, and I don't know if we can make it out of here. If anything happens to us, know this - Never trust a Northwest__."

"I gotta get over there now!" Dipper quickly gathered his books.

Grabbing the Grimoire, the Journal, flashlight and some extra books, the boy quickly rushed out of his dorm and headed into the campgrounds, moving past other campers who were curious as to why he was so speedy. He headed for the gates of the camp when Wendy stopped him suddenly.

"Whoa, where're you going there, partner?" She chuckled. "You ain't allowed to leave any time ya want."

"Do you know where the new Northwest Manor is?" Dipper asked.

"I think they mentioned it in the news a week ago, why?" Her brow rose.

"I need to get there quick, Pacifica's in danger."

"Whoa, dude, she's just visiting her parents - I know you're horny, but -,"

"Wha-it's not that at all!" Dipper frowned, his face bright red as he quickly pulled out the decrypted letter. "This's what I found when I translated a letter from Uncle Ford in the Pacific."

Wendy read the letter. "Oh …"

"I need to get there now! Do you know where it is?" Dipper asked.

"I think I can find the paper, but I think it's all the way across town - you can't just walk there." Wendy said.

"Yo, is something going on, bro?" Tom walked up to them with Mary.

"I have to get to the Northwest Manor; Pacifica's in danger!"

"Well, the man's finally got the courage to take it to her place, huh?"

"Hey, how come we haven't fucked yet?" Mary pouted.

"Mary, I'm only fourteen, Jesus Christ!" Tom yelled, gaining a laugh from her.

"Who is this 'Jesus Christ'?" Alfonse said as he came running to them. "And can He help get this bloodthirsty girl away from me!"

"Aw, come on, I just wanna feel ya is all." Mabel giggled evilly.

"Away from me, woman!" Alfonse backed up.

"Goddammit." Wendy rubbed her nose. "I'll get my car."

"Please, hurry!" Dipper said and he paced around, noticing Tom and Alfonse backing away from Mary and Mabel who had crazed looks in their eyes. "What is wrong with you people?"

* * *

PACIFICA GASPED as she came to, her blurry vision slowly clearing as she looked around and got her bearings. Everything around her was dim and she looked down and saw the bottomless pit beneath her. She began to panic and realized that she was suspended between two glowing transmutation circles in the middle of the occult room.

To her left and right were the masked men and amongst them were Nihil, Deming, Preston and his wife. "What're you doing!? Let me go!" She tried break away from the magical vice.

"This is your true calling, Pacifica! Today, you will become what we've raised you to be." Preston said.

"You will be a sacrifice for our cause." Her mother said.

"I'm a what?"

The masked men began to chant in a strange language and Pacifica started to panic again, trying and failing to break free. Their tone grew louder and louder and started to echo through the halls of the room, making the magic circles glow brighter. A masked man among them stepped away.

* * *

WENDY, DIPPER, Mabel, Tom, Mary and Alfonse crept up along the wall of the Northwest manor, crouching to keep out of sight. Wendy peeped over the wall and saw several armed guards walking around. She gulped.

"Well, my car getting stolen became the least of my worries."

"How do we get in?" Mabel asked.

"I could just burst through really." Tom channeled his red aura. "Fought monsters and ghosts, I bet I'm bulletproof too."

"If we just burst in, we'll alert the Northwests and who knows what'd happen then." Dipper said. "We need to find out what the Northwests are doing first and make sure Pacifica is safe."

"So, what shall we do?" Alfonse asked.

Dipper peeped over the fence himself and sifted his mind. "Mabel, throw a car into the fence."

"Wait, what?"

"I thought you said we need to be stealthy." Tom was perplexed.

"For all we know, they could've started doing something to Pacifica just now - if they needed her home immediately, they must be in a hurry." Dipper said. "The first person they'd expect would probably be Tom since he's connected to this somehow, so we'll save him for last." He turned to Mabel. "Throw the car into the fence and Alfonse and Wendy can take out the guards. Tom, Mary and I will follow after. Go!"

Mabel grabbed her necklace and it glowed. "This's gonna be so fun."

Mabel shot her arm toward a nearby sedan and, with some struggle, lifted it off the ground telekinetically. The guards inside noticed it and before they could react, the girl flung the car into the fence, causing an explosion that knocked them all back . "Go, go!"Dipper yelled.

Drawing her axe, Wendy rushed into the compound and slammed it on the ground, sending out tremors that knocked over men nearby. A guard shot at her from behind and she deflected the shot with her axe, the weapon weaving on its own and pulling her with it. "Well that was cool." She chuckled.

"Watch your surroundings!" Alfonse yelled and fired arrows out, downing three men coming at her.

"Whoa, wait, I thought we're just supposed to take them down, not kill them." Wendy turned to him.

"They're merely stun arrows." Alfonse transformed the bow back into a sword. "I wouldn't kill a man simply doing their job." Wendy smiled at this.

"Okay, let's go!" Dipper ran into the yard. "I bet the alarms have sounded off, so the cops could be here any minute."

"Wait, cops? Wait, I don't wanna go to jail." Mary said.

"Relax, if that happens, I'll just teleport us outta here." Tom said and Mabel frowned at him. "I'm sorry, but it'd be every man for themselves at that point and I wouldn't let Mary go in either."

"Shh!" Dipper slowed down as he went up to the door. Reading the journal, he muttered a spell and summoned a light mandala on the door, turning it see-through. He looked inside and saw nobody in sight, turning to Tom and nodding.

Tom kicked the door down and entered the room with the others, astonished by the grand structure that spread outward, looking at the gold embroidery and complex design on the walls. "Well, damn. How does someone get a place this good?"

"By being a plethora of buttholes." Mabel crossed her arms.

Tom squinted at her. "What?"

Dipper muttered to himself as he walked on, quickly flipping through the journal and looking intently at the walls. Tom watched this, whispering to Mabel. "Ya think your brother's doing okay there?"

"Oh sure, he's just really focused." Mabel chuckled, then paused when Dipper began to twitch. "… I think."

Dipper looked closely at the walls and ran his hand on it, noticing alchemy symbols meshed deeply into it. He looked around the entire room and noticed a sequence in the symbols, writing them down quickly and deciphering them on the spot. Once translated, he turned to the others. "There's a secret passage beneath this house."

"How do you know that?" Wendy asked.

"There's a cipher hidden in the walls that says so." He walked up to them. "Follow me."

The others watched as Dipper squirreled off and reluctantly followed him, entering a passageway and going up to the basement door. They were puzzled as he suddenly stopped and began running his hand along the door frame. Moving his hand up and down, he began to make a tone similar to Morse code and after three taps, opened the door which led to an immediate stairway.

He descended down the steps and the others followed him, descending into the darkness below. Dipper, failing to notice the light switch, turned on his torch and led his friends down the stairwell, which quickly began to feel like the pathway to a dungeon that never seemed to end. Mabel looked at Dipper as he went downward, noticing him more and more on edge and muttering to himself now and again. She became worried.

"Uh, Dipper, are you o -,"

"Shh!" Dipper said sharply and listened. He heard something quietly in the distance. "Someone's coming!" He quickly began to walk back. "Go, go, go! We can't be found yet!" He said quietly.

The group began to ascend the steps quickly and began to hear fast footsteps draw closer and closer. They rushed as quickly as they could, but suddenly felt like they were going in a loop and weren't actually getting anywhere. The footsteps caught up with them and they thought they were spotted when they heard a voice call out to them.

"Dipper!"

The group stopped in their tracks, Wendy, Mabel, and Dipper recognizing the voice instantly. "Ford!?"

"Who?" Tom raised his brow.

The group spun around and saw two masked men in dark robes walking up to them, one of them lagging behind and out of breath. They were puzzled as the men stopped in their place and the closest one removed his mask, revealing who he was. "Hey kids, did you miss us?"

"Uncle Ford!" Dipper and Mabel cried and hugged him instantly.

"We're so glad we found you!" Dipper said.

"Ah, where's the love for ya old man?" Grunkle Stan said as he removed his mask.

"Stan!" Mabel embraced him as well. "Wait, what're you doing here?"

"Yeah, we thought you were in the Pacific." Dipper said.

"And what's with those outfits?" Wendy asked.

"Well, seeing as you're here, you've read the fax I'd sent you - the Northwests can't be trusted." Ford said.

"I told ya a text or an email would've been faster, but you had to be so cryptic." Stan mocked.

"I thought they'd been tracking our phones - how else do you think they found us out in the middle of the ocean?" Ford frowned.

"Is there even any signal in the ocean?" Mary asked.

"Well, how's there Wi-Fi on a plane then?" Wendy asked.

"Well, you see a plane's - wait, wait, why're we talking about signals all of a sudden!?" Dipper frowned.

"We were out in the Pacific trying to study anomalies that were popping up worldwide." Ford said.

"Apparently this whack job scientist Dr Stephen Cello said the world was filling up with this "yeast" particles and were causing tears between dimensions." Stan scoffed. "Yeast."

"Wait, Dr Cello? Like Lily Cello's fucking uncle?" Tom raised his brow.

"Language! And how do you know about him?" Ford asked.

"We'd met him on camp a few days ago." Dipper shrugged. "Who knew he wasn't some kinda psycho."

"Well, his studies were correct; when we went to the ocean, he spotted several small dimensional rifts that were popping up and fizzling away - we're lucky a black hole or something didn't open up." Stan continued.

"And as we were out, a strange figure began to follow us, seemingly lost between dimensions. I'd heard of him - Hazriel - and tried to avoid him. As we did, we ended up crashing on an island where we found an abandoned temple." Ford said. "In the temple, we found several hieroglyphs talking about the meeting between Bill Cipher and a being called the Lich and the Society of the Eye of Providence worshiping them. In there, they had prepared plans to destroy the magical seal around the town left by Merlin to contain temporal rifts and keep Bill Cipher and his master from entering the rest of the world."

"Wait, Bill Cipher … has a master?!" Wendy freaked out.

"A Dark Lord to be exact, yes." Ford said.

"It all makes sense now." Dipper sifted his mind. "A while ago, I'd found a secret magical wheel in a dimension called Ooo which Bill Cipher and the Lich in it. Something big is happening."

"Actually, Ooo is on earth." Ford corrected him. "Something or someone has been merging different universes with ours since 2014 and our earth has only been getting bigger. The Society is trying to take advantage of this and revive Bill Cipher so he and his Dark Lord can take over the multiverse."

"Uh, Ford, this's nice and all, but we're forgetting why we're here in the first place." Stan interrupted. "If we don't stop the ritual, Pacifica could get killed."

"Wait, what's happening to Pacifica?" Dipper began to panic.

"You there! Why aren't you at your posts!" A masked man called from below and walked up to them. He suddenly froze when he saw Tom. "No! No, the Dark Son!"

"Oh shit!" Stan ran up to him. The masked man tapped the wall three times and Stan struck him with his elbow, knocking him out. "Fuck! He's alerted the whole temple - their guards will be here any second."

"Now, what did I say about language, Stan?" Ford frowned.

"Who're you, Steve Rogers? We gotta get to that hall quick!" Stan ran down the steps.

* * *

PACIFICA BREATHED heavily as the chanting loudened, looking down to her parents below. "Mom, there has to be a mistake, right? You - this's just some sorta trick or something, right?"

"Honey, this's necessary for what we're trying to do." Her mother said. "It'll be over soon.'

"But, you said I'd be a sacrifice … wouldn't that mean I'd be -,"

"Pacifica, you're an important part of our plan to better humanity and sacrifices have to be made for the greater good." Preston said.

"I'm your daughter! You can't - why would you do this!?" She turned to her mother. "Mom! Don't do this!"

Her mother remained silent, her washing over with guilt as she watched her daughter beg and plead. She hesitated and looked away from her, only to draw and a dagger and chuck it into Pacifica's stomach!

The girl was stunned, not making a sound as blood trickled down her lip. She looked downward, at the blade that stuck out of her, sending a pool of red across her dress. She looked at her parents, at the cold, emotionless gazes they sent her as she bled out. She tried to speak, but bled more instead.

"Pacifica!" Dipper cried as he and the others burst into the room. The girl tried to respond, but failed to and rage welled in the boy as he turned and saw William and her parents standing across from him. "What have you done!?"

"What was necessary." Preston said blankly.

"You bastards!" Dipper ran across the bridge when William cut him off.

"No need to waste your energy." William said, raising his hand and dismissing the magic circles.

He twirled his fingers and yanked the dagger out of Pacifica telepathically, drawing a scream from her and letting the blood drip onto the rounded platform. He chuckled the girl at Dipper who quickly grabbed her and summoned the blade back to him, wiping it with a white cloth. Dipper held the girl in his arms and saw her quickly lose consciousness, quickly turning to William and his men who were summoning a portal.

"It has been fun running into you again, Pines," William turned to Tom, "Brother - but I must leave." He chuckled. "It has begun." William, Deming, Preston and his wife disappeared into the circle and the masked men remained, all of whom quickly rushed around Dipper and the others.

Tom looked around and summoned his red aura. "Looks like we're gonna have to fight our way outta this one."

"Hold on, we'll take care of you, I promise." Dipper said, gaining a weak smile from the girl when the mansion began to shake!

Cracks began to appear on the walls as an earthquake began and Ford looked onward at the rounded platform as Pacifica's blood moved on its own and turned into a magic circle. The masked men around them began to chant and their eyes glowed brightly from within their masks and they quickly charged at them as the building began to collapse.

"Well, this isn't good."


	16. GATEWAY TO NOWHERE

**'** ** **WEIRDMAGEDDON PHASE 2: GATEWAY TO NOWHERE'****

A LARGE black humanoid figure watched over the earth from a dark, desolate and cloudy dimension. The sounds of rattling chains and crows echoed all around along, with flashing images of several places across the multiverse. Behind the being sat an even larger, colossal being in a dark cloak seated upon a throne made of bones. The two watched over the planet.

The smaller black being frowned and turned to theone that was cloaked. "Master, shall I interfere in the situation? The Dark One seems to be succeeding."

"You shall not." The cloaked figure said plainly.

"But, the humans cannot succeed! If they fail, there will be no way of reversing what the Dark One shall do!"

"Do not worry, Tragion." The cloaked being said leaning forward. "Let us watch what happens."

* * *

THE MASKED men surrounded Wendy, Tom, Mary, Stan, Ford, Mabel, Dipper and Alphonse in the chamber underneath the Northwest manor, their chants loudening and their eyes glowing brightly as they summoned light mandalas around them.

Tom grinned, ready for a fight when Grunkle Stan quickly drew out a small oval disc and threw it on the ground, sending out a purple energy wave that spread throughout the room. Tom blinked as this happened and he stepped forward, realizing that the wave froze the men in place!

"Uh, what?"

"It's a temporal device that froze them in time." Stan threw off his robe, revealing his bomber jacket and pants underneath. "It'll only work for a bit, so we have to get moving!"

"C'mon, let's go!" Ford said and headed out with the others, only to see Dipper lagging behind. He turned and watched as the boy looked at Pacifica solemnly as she lay unconscious in his arms. "Dipper, come on."

Dipper huffed and rose to his feet, following the others out of the room.

* * *

DIPPER AND the others ran out of the mansion, moving over the damage Mabel had left and ending up on the sidewalk. As they headed out, they suddenly stopped as they saw blurs speeding back and forth across the road. They were puzzled as they saw this and Mabel stepped forward to touch them when Ford quickly pulled her back.

"Mabel, stop!" Ford yelled.

"Why? What is the -," Mabel tried to say when the blurs slowed down, revealing themselves to be people! "What the hell?"

"They're being moved back and forth in time." Ford explained, looking at the birds that were frozen in midair. "Everything is."

"Well, we need to get back to the shack - it's the only place that'd be protected from this." Stan said and ran on with the others. He glanced back and saw that Wendy and Mabel were frozen in place! "The girls!"

"I'm on it!" Ford said and he flung two small discs at the two that latched onto their chests.

Their bodies fizzled like static and they reappeared, gasping and looking around in surprise. "The Time Nexus Amulets won't hold for long - let's move!" Ford said, leading the kids down the street and between the frozen vehicles and people.

* * *

A LOW rumbling began to reverberate throughout the town as Dipper, Stan, Ford, Mabel, Tom, Mary, Alfonse and Wendy headed toward the shack. Moving passed the trees, they saw the familiar building up ahead and quickly ran up to it. Stan was the first to arrive, a wave of nostalgia washing over him as he reached for the door handle when it wouldn't budge.

"Oh, no." Stan rattled the nob repeatedly. "Soos!" He banged on the door. "Soos, are you in there?"

"If you're an alien, there's no one in here! We're frozen in your alien beam thing like everyone else, so go away!" Soos' heavy voice came from inside.

"Soos, it's me, Stan!"

"Stan?"

"I knew that voice sounded familiar." Melanie's voice came from inside.

"Hold on!" Soos said and footsteps could be heard from the other side.

Stan waited for a bit, hearing something heavy being dragged on the other side and something smash on the floor. "You better not be breaking my merchandise in there!"

The door swung open and the large man came out, his eyes immediately welling up with tears. "Stan!" He hugged the man, balling over his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, it's been a long time, I know." Stan patted his shoulder. "Now, get off a' me, you big lug, we've got an emergency!" He pushed him off.

"We need to barricade ourselves inside before the time anomaly affects all of us." Ford said.

"Oh, well, come right in." Melanie said, stepping aside as the group rushed in. She saw Pacifica in Dipper's arms and grew concerned. "What happened?"

"Well, a whole lotta shit - let's just say, it's another day at the office." Stan said and took a sip from his flask.

"What's going on out there? Everything all frozen and stuff." Soos said as he pushed a heavy bookcase up to the door. Mabel chipped in and used her amulet, pushing it across the door instantly. "Whoa!" Soos stepped back. "Sweet."

"A secret society trying to revive Bill Cipher is interfering with the magical seal around the town that keeps anomalies in." Ford said. "Whatever they just did now is causing time to bend on itself." He looked around when he saw a wind chime freeze in place. "And it's spreading faster than I thought!"

Ford ran up to the window near the chime and placed a device on the wall, causing purple magic runes to light up. "The seal around the shack might not be strong enough to hold out for long. If we don't stop this before it gets worse, not even the most powerful magic could reverse this."

Dipper laid Pacifica on a couch nearby, worrying over her when Alfonse came up to him with his bag of potions, making the boy begrudgingly leave him to tend to her wound. Walking up to Ford, he pulled out his journal and Grimoire. "We'd encountered the Society before in Mermantropolis and they were destroying a magic circle in the city which had these symbols." He handed him the Grimoire.

"Where did you get this device?" Ford asked, scrolling through its interface.

"From the alien ship." Dipper said.

"Well, that explains what's up with this guy." Stan said. "Thought his ears were some kinda condition."

Alfonse quickly donned his hood, covering his ears. "I was part of an Elvan expedition to earth under the behest of Odin several millenia ago. We were one of many teams sent throughout the universe to close rifts that could cause a convergence. We'd found that Merlin had closed the rifts in this town and were attacked by a strange creature on our departure that led to our crash. I was the only one left."

"Well, that patches up a gap in my knowledge." Ford said.

"That's a cool backstory." Wendy said. "I'm just a lumberjack."

Ford went through the archives in the Grimoire, looking over notes Dipper had scanned and things he'd written in the journal as well. "Though we've been investigating different things, we seem to have found very similar information. The seal around the town - which is apparently Merlin's, thanks to Alfonse's information - is similar to the seal in Mermantropolis."

"That means one of those convergence things could end up happening again." Stan said. "That'd be a headache."

Tom moved up to the group as they talked, looking to Dipper who was reading his journal. "Hold up," Tom stopped him on a page and grabbed the book.

"What're you doing?" Dipper frowned.

"I recognize one of these symbols." Tom showed the others the page where Dipper had sketched the Bill and Lich wheel from Ooo. "That's a seal of the Valar."

"How do you know that?" Ford asked.

"I … I'd seen it somewhere." Tom cleared his throat.

"No, you don't just "see" something like that." Ford said sternly.

"Tom, who **__**are**__** you?" Dipper stepped back, the air going still as the others looked at him with suspicion.

Tom glanced around and looked to Mary, sighing. "Months ago, Mary and I were captured by an alien cult called the Lunar Sect who wanted to awaken the Dark One - who was defeated long ago by beings called the Valar - so he can destroy the universe. They said that I was the key to that awakening, calling me the Dark Son and after the ritual was interrupted by Star Butterfly -,"

"Butterfly?" Ford sighed, "Thought I'd ever hear of those fucking Mewmans again."

"Uh, language," Stan mocked.

"You know Star?" Dipper asked.

"I came across the Mewman planet when I was hurled through dimensions." Ford frowned. "They're one of the most annoying monarchies in the multiverse."

"Well, after Star interrupted the ceremony, this appeared on my back." Tom removed his shirt, revealing a magic circle tattoo on his back.

"Ford, Dipper and Alfonse crowded around Tom, studying the symbols on the tattoo (Mary studied his muscular form instead). "There're symbols from places across the universe - as if monks from all over the cosmos etched this into his back." Alfonse said. "I even see Elvan here."

"I'm recognizing some symbols myself too." Ford frowned. "Some of these symbols look like Merlin's."

"Ooh, I met Merlin while I was in space too!" Tom said.

"So, the wizard still lives." Alfonse was stunned. "Incredible."

"Well, this explains the legends I'd come across while I was in space." Ford said. "Rick would like to hear about this."

"Who would?" Dipper asked.

"Never mind that."

"This is cool and all, but shouldn't we hurry up a little? I gotta get back to camp and make sure the kids are okay." Wendy chimed in.

"You're right." Ford said. "First, we gotta -,"

The earth shook suddenly, rocking the building and causing Dipper and Ford to drop their books. The rumbling settled and they quickly moved to pick up their things when Alfonse noticed something. "Wait!" He cried. "Look at the pages."

Dipper and Ford looked at the papers on the floor, seeing the map of the town lying among different sketches of artifacts and locations strewn about - failing to make sense of it. "I don't see anything." Ford said.

"Wait, look at the North of the camp!" Dipper said, moving up to the map that rested near a sketch of the Lich and Bill wheel from Ooo. "It's symbols match paths in the forest! That must be where a seal of Merlin's is."

"If that's the case, it may be a target of the Eye of Providence." Ford said. "If it's the last remaining seal, then all of Gravity Falls - no, all of reality could be destroyed!"

"So, what do we do?" Wendy asked.

"You're gonna need weapons - the society's gonna be expecting us, so we've gotta be prepared." Stan said, reaching into his bag. "Wendy, Tom, Mabel, Soos, and Elf guy here will go back to camp and keep the kids safe." He tossed weapons to them, giving Soos electric gauntlets and Pacifica an automatic rifle.

"Did you give a kid a gun?" Ford raised his brow.

"Well, that kid can blow up reality - what's the big deal?" Stan gestured to Tom.

"Don't worry, I have a licence." Pacifica sat up and picked the gun off the floor.

"You do?" Dipper squinted.

"What? I was rich, so I could do what I want." Pacifica cocked the rifle.

"Dipper, Pacifica, Stan and I will go after the society." Ford said and pulled out his journal - Journal Omega. "We'll settle this once and for all."

"Wait, I'm coming with you." Tom said.

"No dice, kid, those magical assholes are gunning after you and your girlfriend - we can't take the chance."

"Well, Mary can take care of herself, but I wanna make sure this Dark One guy doesn't get revived. I finally got him outta my head and I don't want him in it again." Tom said sternly, not noticing Mary blush as he didn't refute her being called his girlfriend.

Ford sifted his mind. "Alright, fine." He looked to the others. "You guys good with the plan?"

"You got it, Stan 2." Soos said.

"How am I Stan 2 …" Ford said, stunned.

"I'll keep the Shack safe," Melanie said, pulling out her shotgun. "Those bastards won't know what hit 'em."

The guys cheered excitedly and started to head out. Dipper however grew concerned and moved up to Pacifica. "Are you sure you're okay? You just got stabbed."

"I wanna help too Dipper." Pacifica responded. "Besides, Alfonse's medicine magic worked great."

"Sure." Dipper grumbled.

"I'll be fine." Pacifica put a hand to his cheek. "I promise."

Dipper nodded.

"And I wanna take revenge on my asshole parents."

Dipper and Pacifica joined the others as they headed out, Ford reaching for the door handle when he remembered something. "Oh, almost forgot." He tossed out amulets that latched onto the others' chests. "Those amulets will protect you from the effects of the time anomalies and will keep us in contact. They'll also help you create seals to put around the camp so you can keep monsters out and stabilize the campgrounds."

"Okay, okay, enough chitchat." Stan said. "Let's take some wizard ass."

"You mean kick." Ford corrected.

"Shut up, Ford!"

* * *

DIPPER, STAN, Ford, Tom and Pacifica rowed their small boat through the swampy waters around Scuttlebutt Island. The birds and wildlife around them were unusually quiet and their waters were almost frozen still. Dipper began to approximate how their plan would go when bright lights flashed around them!

Several balls of light had appeared in the forest and on the waters, swirling and turning into portals to different locations around the world. "Keep calm and focus on rowing the boat - we don't want to be sucked in by these rifts." Ford said, rowing on.

They came up to a bank and disembarked the vessel, drawing their weapons and equipment and heading into the woods. In the bushes nearby, a portal opened spitting Hiro Hamada out of San Fransokyo and sending him crashing on the ground. The boy looked around in a panic, only to be sucked back in to where Baymax was laying waste to the city.

Dipper and the others walked carefully through the woods - weapons at the ready - and kept watch for any portals so they don't get sucked in. As they walked, Dipper glanced to Pacifica who'd insisted on coming with them, wondering if it was the best idea as they'd be directly running into the cult. He sighed and walked on, hoping that she'd be okay in the end.

Suddenly, a portal burst open before them , spitting out a gigantic humanoid wolf that ran toward them. "Everyone, keep your eyes sharp!" Ford said, aiming his laser rifle ready to fire.

Tom lunged in however and punched the beast, sending it flying through the woods and crashing several meters away. Ford and Stan were stunned and Tom stood up and looked at his arm. A black aura was exuding from it.

"Shit, it's happening." Tom turned to the others. "The dark energy is rising again - the cult must be nearby."

* * *

BACK AT Camp Mystery Camp, the campmates were huddled at the center of the campgrounds as Kris - leader of Team Gurren -, Mabel, Mary, Soos and Alfonse spread a magic circle around the camps perimeters. They used the amulets that sprayed the chalk patterns on the ground and the campers watched curiously.

"Great, more witchcraft shit." Mitch, leader of Team Chicks Dig Giant Robots said angrily.

"If I use magic, it's evil, but if they use witchcraft, it's perfectly fine." Lil Gideon complained.

"But, you were using evil magic," Peter of Team Royalty said.

"Oh, hush you!"

Wendy looked at the campers who were gathered, making sure they were all present and none were hurt. She also looked for Luke whom they had revived after their battle with the alien who had possessed his body. Making sure they were all there, she turned to the others.

"How's it holding up?"

"We're just about done here!" Mabel replied, continuing her portion and moving up to Alfonse. "Well, hello there, pretty boy."

Alfonse cringed, but chose to ignore her, bringing their amulets together and closing the magic circle. Soos, Mabel, Mary, Alfonse and Kris stepped away from the circle and a white light shot out of the markings and towards the sky. They merged and transformed into a dome over the camp, becoming a force field around the area.

"Whoa …" Mary looked on in awe and touched the shield, the energy rippling around her hand and giving her a slight tingle. "Cool."

"Alright, get back to camp - we've gotta think of a strategy in case anything comes towards the camp!" Wendy shouted.

She went back to the campers when she noticed Luke had gone! She looked around and saw him a few feet away, violently punching the force field. "Luke?"

She ran up to the boy and found him repeatedly hitting the energy shield, his knuckles battered and blood splattering on the ground. "Luke, what're you doing!?" She turned him around and saw that his eyes were completely black. "What the?"

The boy backhanded her, flinging her back towards the other campers and drawing their attention. The boy vomited and hunched over, veins and bulges spreading across his back and making it break apart, sending blood and bone everywhere. Out of him came the alien that climbed out of his body, growing to twice his size and jumping to the ground.

Luke stood back up and his torn back tapered into tentacles - his mouth breaking and turning into pincers that closed and opened as he spoke. "Kill them." The alien screeched and charged at the campers.

"I hate this place!" Mitch yelled as a stampede ensued.

The creature went after Wendy when Alfonse came to her aid, smacking the creature back with his sword. "Stay back, vile creature."

The alien grabbed him and tossed him through a camp building's wall, rushing after Wendy who was protected again, this time by Mabel who used her telekinetic necklace. Before it could react, Wendy shot back up and hacked the beast's side with her axe, sending it flying back.

The beast jumped back up when it saw Wendy, Alfonse, Mary, Mabel and Soos standing around it. "You're not gonna hurt those kids while we're around, big guy." Soos cracked his knuckles, sending electricity through the gauntlets.

"Yeah, I will rip you apart and feed on your entrails!" Mabel yelled excitedly, "Holy shit I got a serious problem".

The monster roared and collided with the five, a battle ensuing. The creature clashed with Alfonse and Soos, holding their blade and gauntlets and flinging them away. Mabel sent a telekinetic blast at the beast and it merely shrugged it off, firing a tentacle at the girl. Wendy slashed the appendage and hacked the ground, sending a concussive wave at the monster and it leapt out of the way, speeding towards them.

The monster vomited on the ground and turned it into cement that held the four down and it whipped all five of them with a sharp tentacle, knocking them down and cutting into them. The creature snarled and eyed each of them, only to find Mary still standing with a black energy shield conjured around her.

She absorbed the energy into her forearms and fired it at the creature, digging it into the ground and smashing it against the shield near Luke. The boy turned to her and saw a dark aura blazing around the girl's body as she walked towards them.

"You're not gonna take me out that easily." Mary said in an unearthly voice.

* * *

A LOW rumbling had begun to reverberate around them at random intervals as Dipper, Ford, Stan, Tom and Pacifica made their way across the island and the sky somehow began to dim despite it being midday. Ford read their map meticulously as they went on and he realized as he looked around once more.

"We're here." Ford said, making the others stop.

Stan looked around. "So, where's the seal?"

A loud roar shook the forest and a giant figure descended from the skies and landed before them with a loud thud. The dust settled and revealed the creature to be a 60 foot, three winged dragon with dark black eyes and gems running down its body. The beast stared down his enemies and focused on Dipper who backed away.

"You smell like that girl from before." He said.

"What!? I don't smell like a girl!" Dipper stuttered and cleared his throat, speaking in a deep voice. "Who dares stand before us?"

"Are you trying to sound like Alfonse?" Pacifica snickered.

"No," Dipper said, only making her laugh louder. "This's the way I normally talk."

"Who are you?" Ford said, drawing his gun.

"I am a Home World Warrior." The beast declared and looked at Ford. "And you and your cohorts have not been forgotten in the outer galaxy, rebellious scum."

"Well, it's a good thing you remember me?" Ford cocked the rifle and it transformed into robotic gauntlets. He fired two metal clamps that held the creature's feet into the ground and put his hands together, turning the gauntlet into a massive cannon. "Say hello to the Diamonds for me!" Ford fired a giant beam at the dragon, creating a gigantic explosion that created a blazing furnace in the woods. The others were stunned.

"How did you make that?" Dipper said with his jaw dropped.

"Well, I met this guy named Rick who -,"

A strong wind drew their attention as the inferno swirled and the dragon inhaled the flames and fired the ocean-like wave of fire at them. "Hang on!" Ford said, adjusting his gauntlets when Tom stepped up to the plate.

Tom punched the fire with a blazing fist and sent the wave flying up into the air and exploding in the clouds above, creating a fiery glow that spread around. The others stared in awe as Tom stood before the massive dragon, unfazed and charging a black aura through his fists.

"That's so hot." Pacifica said, nudging Dipper. "Get it?" Dipper frowned at her. "No? Tough crowd."

* * *

WENDY AND the others fought the alien in a back and forth battle, failing to get an upper hand despite Mary being able to return equal blows. The battle had escalated and destroyed two camp dorms, making them fail to realize what Luke was doing. Turning his arm into a glowing claw, the boy stabbed into the magic circle on the ground and destroyed the energy shield.

"Oh, shit!" Wendy frowned.

"Let's see you escape this." Luke pulled out a sling-ring and opened a gigantic portal, summoning a horde of monsters that flooded into the camp.

Mary blasted the alien away and spread black energy across her forearms, standing in the way of the beasts. "I got this."

The hundreds of monsters smashed through the trees and cleared through the buildings like they were nothing, blazing through the field and aiming for the campers. Wendy clung to her axe, unsure of what to do when a loud horn echoed throughout the camp, stopping even the monsters in their tracks.

Loud footsteps echoed in the distance and loudened as a rumbling could be felt coming from the woods behind them. Suddenly, an army of 15 to 20 foot giants rushed out of the forest, smashing through the trees and coming into the camp. "Oh, come on!" Mitch complained.

Amongst the group however was Gorrum, the warrior of Exterra and Mabel cheered excitedly upon seeing him. "Gorrum!"

"Send those beasts back where they came from!" The giant commander yelled and the armies collided.

Alfonse and Mabel ran up to Gorrum and the giant knelt to them. "Hello, my good friends."

"Not to be ungrateful, but why are you here?" Alfonse asked.

"A sage foresaw a troubling time in our future." Gorrum said. "If we do not defeat the Heralds of the Dark One quickly, the world will end."

* * *

THE DRAGON soared through the air and spat fireballs at Tom who deftly dodged them and teleported up to the beast. With a single punch, he barreled the beast into the forest and sent trees flying about.

Ford watched in awe and shook himself out of it. "C'mon, let's keep moving."

"You won't get away!" The dragon yelled.

A bright light shone from the sky and massive laser blasts rained down on the forest. Dipper and the others spread out and they looked up to see a massive space ship flying around. Ford saw this and turned to Tom who was knocked aside by the dragon.

"The dragon's controlling the ship!" Ford turned and fired a clamp at the beast's head.

The dragon, without looking, blocked the clamp with its tail and quickly covered itself with its wing as Tom flew at it with a punch. Ford sped through the woods and fired at the dragon from different angles, failing to get as big a charge as before. He went up to the beast and fired at the dragon's head and it blocked it instantly, shooting down Tom and flying back. Ford realized something.

He pressed on his amulet. "Aim for the dragon's head!"

"What? Why?" Tom asked.

"It's heavily defending it, so it has to be its weak spot." Ford continued. "If we attack from all angles, we can distract it and give Tom an opening to defeat it."

"Alright, let's do it!" Dipper said.

Dipper, Stan and Pacifica spread out around the dragon as Ford and Tom attacked it. Opening his journal, Dipper summoned a light mandala and sent a whirlwind of ice that froze the creature's wing. It broke it instantly and turned to him when Pacifica fired rounds with her shotgun, drawing its attention to her.

Stan came up to the beast from behind with his rocket powered boots and stabbed a sword into the monster's skin. The creature lashed about and he pressed a button on it, jumping back and letting it explode into the creature's body. Ford charged up his gauntlets and fired clamps on the creature's limbs, pinning the massive creature down to the ground.

"Tom, now!" He cried.

Tom lunged at the dragon and punched its gem with an energy-infused punch, sending out a wave that rattled the nearby trees. The creature went out cold and the five let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, good thing that's over."

"Yes, it is." Ford turned the gauntlets back into a rifle and holstered it. "Now, let's go find the -,"

The dragon's body glowed suddenly and diminished into the gem on its head that plopped on the ground. Tom walked up to it and picked it up. "What the-?"

The gem suddenly flew out of his hand and raced off into the forest where a bright light flashed, reflecting on the clouds. The light turned into a beam and it shot into the sky, making Ford worry. "No, no, no, no, no!" Ford ran onto the path.

"What's going on?" Stan asked.

"The seal - the Eye of Providence already broke it!" Ford yelled and ran toward the beam of light.

* * *

THE GIANTS formed a parameter around the camp as they tried to push the monsters back towards the forest, working hand in hand with Wendy and the others to keep the campers safe. They battled all sorts of creatures, from winged elephants to six-legged cheetah to faceless blobbed beasts that summoned more monsters and planted themselves into the ground like trees.

Wendy hacked creatures coming at her from all directions and slashed another in its skull, dislodging the blade and swiping the weapon, sending out an energy wave that knocked other monsters back. She panted and looked at the wounds on her body, seeing the others push back the beasts. She got encouraged and lifted her weapon again - they could do it, they could defeat them.

Out of the corner of her eye however, she saw Luke standing on the other side of the seal and he was redrawing the portion he'd damaged! "Luke, no!" She ran toward him, but he closed it before she could reach him and the shield was up again.

The shield closed around the keep, keeping the campers, giants and the monsters that were summoned in there with them. The blobbed creatures slid back to the shield on all corners of the camp and they slapped patches of their flesh together, making a bell noise that drew the attention of the monsters. At all corners of the camp, the blobs summoned four portals from which more creatures came, rushing in on the campers who had nowhere to go.

* * *

FORD, STAN, Dipper, Pacifica and Tom ran as fast as they could through the forest, hearing the rumbling from before become louder. They came up to the beam of light and saw members of the society crowded around a magic circle and charging electricity into the symbols along its outer rim. Seeing the dragon's gem in the middle of it, Ford drew his weapon.

"No time for plans this time!" He transformed it into gauntlets. "Let's stop before it's too late!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" A familiar voice said and a suddenly force pushed them back.

Ford got to his feet and before them stood Michael who adjusted his collar. "Your speed is impeccable, I must say, but, you didn't arrive in time. Boy! Am I glad I didn't tell you what my evil plan was or when I was gonna do it - bet my back would be against the wall by now and I'd be sent back again."

"Why does this voice sound familiar?" Dipper asked himself.

"C'mon, Dipper, I thought you'd have figured this out by now." Ford frowned.

"Wow! Interrupting me? Well, that's not nice." Michael said. "I was about to make my epic reveal." Michael grabbed his upper jaw and pulled it, struggling to open it more and confusing others. "Sorry, it's on a little tight, I - ah! There it goes!"

Michael broke his jaw and left his head hanging in two, the disgusting gurgling of blood bubbling from his throat sending chills up the spines of the five. His body lurched and thrashed about when a black hand shot out of his gullet and slapped onto his tongue. The body bugled once more and bright light burst forth, sending the carcass splattering in bits behind it.

"Bill." Ford seethed.

"Well, you coulda let my reveal myself first." The triangular body of light with black arms, a black top hat and a single eye chuckled. "Ah, it's good to be back!"

His voice reverberated, almost causing an earthquake as birds flew away.

"Did you miss me? Because I missed me - got tired of living in a disgusting sack of flesh and pretending to be one of you lowlifes." Bill twisted his eye like it was a neck. "Who knew it'd be hard to make an LMD into a functioning body - bet Fitz would be impressed."

"You, I've seen you before!" Tom grit his teeth, unleashing a deep black aura. "You've been in my fucking head for months!"

"Now, come down, brother, it was just fun and games." Bill chuckled. "Can't siblings pull a prank here and there? You gotta know you're not my target here anyway and you and your partner won't be hurt at all."

"What do you mean by brother?" Dipper yelled.

"Ah, enough chit chat." Bill flew up and took the lotus position, creating a light mandala behind him. "Once this portal opens, Weirdmageddon will finally be complete. Ultimate power, awakening the Dark Lord - you know the details by now - will be all accomplished!" he laughed. "There's nothing you can do to stop me!"

Dipper frowned and ran toward the wizards.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Bill blasted him with an energy beam. "You're not going anywhere near there, kid."

"Dipper!" Pacifica came to his side.

Dipper struggled to his feet and looked to the wizards again, hearing Bill's laugh echo everywhere and feeling the ground shake violently. He looked to the magic circle, at the gem floating in the center and he got an idea. He whispered a spell and shot an energy dagger at the gem, flying right between the wizards and hitting it square in the center.

"What the -?" Bill turned, only to be hit with a blinding light that burst out of the gem.

The giant beam of light fizzled and the gem fell into the ground when a portal suddenly opened behind Dipper, Ford, Stan, Tom and Pacifica. "Wait, wait, wait!" Bill yelled as the portal started to swallow them in.

Ford pushed Stan out of the way and ran toward Dipper, only to be sucked into the portal. "Uncle Ford!" Dipper yelled, only to be sucked in as well. Tom, who ignored all this, ran up to Bill, but was caught in the vacuum as well. The portal began to close, only to absorb the dragon's gem as well.

Stan and Pacifica stood in the middle of the forest, confused and they looked at Bill and the wizards who looked just as lost. "What the hell just happened!?" Bill yelled, deepening with rage.


	17. Weirdmageddon Phase 2 - Azardomain

****WEIRDMAGEDDON PHASE 2: AZARDOMAIN****

BRIGHT LIGHTS flashed all around, Dipper slowly opening his eyes to a hyper stream as he, Ford and Tom were flung over several dimensions. He was in awe as he saw this; seeing a beachfront where a chubby boy with an afro and a pink shirt hung out with three women, a metropolitan city where three girls - blue, pink, and green respectively - who flew about, and an alien city mounted on a giant skull floating in space. He wondered what was going on and saw an image flash of several of these places flying towards earth!

"What the -,"

The three were suddenly sucked into a portal and were flung atop a dusty mountain, rolling to a halt. They dusted themselves off and stood, seeing a chrome city with several large statues standing nearby. Everything around the city was a desert and the sky looked like they were in outer space.

"What is this place?" Dipper squinted.

"I've heard of it before, but I can't seem to put my finger on it." Ford stroked his chin.

Tom clenched and opened his fists and huffed as nothing happened. "Well, my powers are bugging out here."

"Let's try and have a look at this place - maybe we can find out what's going on." Ford walked on.

The three descended the mountain and entered the city, seeing no vehicles anywhere and almost no people in the streets. The silence was eerie and they began to wonder what was happening when they heard a loud crash in the distance. A battle between wizards was afoot and their colliding spells destroyed buildings around them!

"Well, we made a mistake coming here." Ford said.

A white cloaked wizard struck down another in black with a lightning spell and she turned to Ford, Dipper and Tom. "There, more outsiders!" She cried.

"These insects will not infect us with their filth!" A tall man in a white cloak spoke and he held out his gauntlet, firing acid vines at them.

"Incoming!" Ford leapt away from the blasts. Landing in a nearby alley, he looked across the street and saw Tom and Dipper across from him. "We gotta get outta here - contact me when you get a -," A wizard grabbed him telekinetically and yanked him away.

"Uncle Ford!"

"Come on, let's go!" Tom yelled and ran off.

The two boys entered another street and came across an ethereal mantis with two black-cloaked riders that turned towards them. They gulped in its cold gaze and it spat out a wave of bugs that flew after them. Tom tried to blast them off when a white beam hit his side and sent him crashing into a building. Dipper looked to where the blast came from and saw the white-cloaked mages from before running toward him.

He made a quick turn and ran into another street, drawing the white-cloaked wizards after him when they encountered the black-cloaked riders and started fighting them instead. Dipper was confused as he saw this over his shoulder, only to get caught in a trap that yanked him up a light pole. A black-robed woman with a whip came up to him and grinned.

"I may not be able to use magic, but I sure as hell can pull my own weight in this war!" She cracked her whip.

"Well, it sucks to be you." Dipper conjured a light mandala and cut the harness around his ankle, freeing himself and landing on the woman with a swift kick to the face, knocking her out.

He looked around, ready to escape, when he realized what he, Ford and Tom had landed themselves into. Looking around, he realized that the buildings they thought were chrome were actually covered in burns and cracks - resultant of the rampant chaos around as he heard explosions and screeching insects all about. He tried to think of a way out when six white garbed women ran toward him, each armed with magical weapons.

"Crap!" He reached for his journal when a bright light flashed in the sky.

The people of the city - the black and white mages, Ford, Tom and Dipper - looked to the sky where Dr. Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme descended on a large light mandala. "Hear me, people of Azardomain!" He said in an ethereal voice.

"Azardomain? You insult us!?" A tall woman in royal white robes flew toward him. "Azarath was invaded by these lowly Ledgerdomain rats who call themselves wizards and you dare lump us with them?"

"Rats!?" Another woman, grey-haired and garbed in purple leather with a black cloak, apparated next to them. "You're the one who invaded us!"

"Now, now, ladies, calm down." Dr Strange said.

"Stay out of this!" The two women yelled and blasted him with spells which tore a hole right through him.

Dr Strange's body fizzled back together and he dusted himself. "Okay, guess you don't wanna listen to me."

The two women shot strips of energy at each other, crossing the streams and causing an explosion that sent lightning-like waves across the sky. The women exchanged blows and the people below continued fighting, annoying Dr Strange as he watched. He looked for an opening as the two women battled fiercely and decided to project a clone toward them.

"Your majesties, please, this violence is unnecessary." The clone said.

"Well, I wouldn't call myself a majesty, but," The grey-haired women flicked her hair.

"Focus on the battle, you reject!" The white robed woman wrapped her in crystalline ropes.

"Ugh, how dare you!" The grey-haired woman broke out instantly.

The clone turned to Dr Strange, wondering what to do and he was puzzled as well. The doppelganger shrugged and tried again. "Your kingdoms merged because of a disturbance in the multiverse and if we don't join forces, everything will be destroyed." They ignored him and the clone shook his head, turning to the Doctor. "I dunno, man." He disappeared.

Shaking his head, Dr Strange started conjuring a magic circle when a large tube of fire shot between him and the women, drawing their attention to a massive figure in the distance. Flying across the skies was the blue gem dragon, followed by several monsters just as big as him. "Find the boys and bring them to me!"

* * *

SOOS GRABBED a monster by the neck and slammed it on the ground, electrocuting it with his gauntlet. He swerved back swiftly as a large hippo-like monster charged at him and he punched its side, sending a charge that knocked it out. He punched two small-winged creatures that came at him from behind without even looking and backhanded another beast, sending it into a nearby building.

"Um, guys, I think I'm a little bit overwhelmed here." He turned to Wendy, Mary, Mabel and Alfonse nearby who were covered in bruises while he put a demon in a full-nelson.

"Seriously?" Wendy raised her brow and was immediately smacked aside by a giant, four-armed Minotaur.

"Geez, I was just asking for some help," Soos said, taking a sip of water from his water bottle with one hand and punching away a cat beast with the other.

Mabel summoned a telepathic shield around herself with her necklace and rammed through a group of mutant bulls, racing for the shield around the camp when she heard a familiar squeal nearby. "Waddles?" She looked around and saw the bovine running around in a panic as a giant chicken made of razors chased after him. "Waddles, hang on!"

She held her necklace and tossed a nearby water cooler at the chicken, knocking back onto the shield and knocking it out. Waddles ran up to her and she picked him up, hugging him tightly, but was immediately pinned down by a spider goat that tried to bite her throat out. Waddles came to the rescue and slammed into the creature, getting it off her. Mabel pushed herself up and looked at the pig which stood majestically in a ray of sunlight.

"You beautiful pig." She got up and picked the pig up, putting it on her shoulder. "Let's get 'em!"

She ran off and re-entered the fray, not noticing Mary nearby who shot down several creatures with her dark energy. She panted and looked to the shield, seeing a blob latched on it that was summoning more monsters through a portal. She raised her arm to shoot it down when she felt a sharp pain and fell to her knees.

Energy surged through her body and she balled over as her dark aura sputtered out of control. She cried out in agony and Wendy heard this. "Mary!" She ran toward her, only to be attacked by the Minotaur who threw a right hoof at her.

She blocked the hit with her axe, but the monster was unfazed, pushing itself deeper onto the blade and getting itself cut. Wendy was stunned at this, not realizing the creature had lodged the blade into its flesh. The monster yanked the axe away and smacked her several feet back. She pushed herself up and saw her blood on the ground, trying and failing to get up as the monster drew closer.

Gorrum cut down creatures with his mighty sword, pushing back the army when a clay mammoth came barreling down the battlefield. He raised his sword to block it, but was instantly pushed back by the pachyderm, his feet digging into the ground, and was pinned against a building. He tried to push it back and saw another giant nearby swarmed by giant ants that ate his body. Gorrum tried to push it off him, but the monster pressed its great weight against him and pierced his side with its tusk, drawing a scream from him.

Alfonse fired a volley of arrows into the air and shot down several creatures, moving to draw more arrows when a tail slipped around him and threw against the ground. He pushed himself up and saw a humanoid snake creature slither up toward him. He turned his bow into a sword, but the creature quickly wrapped around him and opened its mouth to devour him.

The camp's forces were overwhelmed as an endless number of beasts made their way through them. The campers cowered at the center as they saw this and several giant bees rushed down toward them, ready to strike.

"Okay, here goes."

Dust shot up in strips around outside the camp's shield and smacked into it loudly, shaking the earth around. A silence fell and soon after, trees came crashing down onto the shield, creating a noise that even the monsters noticed. Lightning surged from outside the shield and it suddenly shut off, confusing those inside.

"What the hell?" Mabel squinted and saw figures walking toward them. "Who're they?"

"You know, you could've been a little more careful." A red-haired girl said.

"Heh, coming from you? That's rich." Another girl in a green hood said.

Wendy, who bled beside a building, saw them approach and recognized them. "Finn?"

"Aw, come on! I didn't even get to do a cool entrance yet!" Finn whined.

"Okay, lemme just clear up this mess." Jake said and he took a deep breath, enlarging his arms. The dog slammed his fists on the ground around the camp and pushed the monsters off, knocking them into the woods and far away from the area. Turning his hands back to normal, he shook them in pain. "Ugh, didn't expect some a' them to be so pointy."

"Finn!" Wendy ran up to them, seeing Huntress Wizard and Flame Princess among them. "How'd you find us?" She asked with a grin, turning and seeing, "Old Man McGucket?"

"You betcha!" McGucket laughed. "Seems we came just in time." He looked around. "I detected a rise in YEAST energy and thought we could use some help, so I popped over on their side - seems their princess noticed it too."

"Princess Bubblegum urged us to help, so we came right over." Finn took a heroic stance.

"Well, there's this cult that's fucking shit up and let all these monsters loose; I dunno how many there are exactly." Wendy said.

"Guess we've got no time to lose then." McGucket tossed a Capsule Corp. capsule on the ground, releasing a weapons container. "Hand these out to the campers so they can defend themselves and we'll spread out and exterminate the remaining monsters."

"Well, normally I'd say no to giving guns to kids, but eh, whatever." She turned to the campers. "Yo, Mitch, Chris, hand these out." The two boys came over, arguing as usual. "We have to split up though; there was one creature which was opening portals and it went into the woods."

"Okay, then here's the plan!" Finn stepped forward. "Jake, Huntress, Phoebe, Wendy, Alfonse and I will go and fight the monsters and try and find their ring leader while the old man and the rest of you help evacuate!"

"I'll help with the evacuation." Mr Poolcheck said.

"So will I." Mabel said.

"And me." Mary chimed in, though a little weakened.

"Alright then, let's move!" Finn drew his sword.

THE BLUE gem dragon and his minions rained fire down upon Azardomain, burning down the city whilst the people on the ground fought each other. Dr Strange looked around and huffed, slamming his hands together and summoning a light mandala. Sending it out, he created a light shield around the city, sending the fireballs bouncing back.

"Okay, that should settle things." He dusted his hands and saw Ford nearby. "Ah, Mr Pines, I'm glad you're here."

"How do you know me?" The man walked up to him.

"Ah, I know everybody." Dr Strange walked passed him and saw the two royal wizard women fighting each other. "Now." He summoned a lightning Frisbee and threw it between them, nearly cutting them and drawing their attention. "We need to talk."

"And who are you to interfere in our disputes?" The white-robed royal flew toward him.

"I am Dr Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme and I have seen chaos in the cosmos that I cannot quell myself." Dr Strange said. "I need your help, Lady Arella," He looked to the grey-haired royal above. "And Charmcaster."

"Why should we believe you?" Charmcaster apparated in front of him.

"Because I can explain in detail why your realms have collided." Stephen Strange said. "And why there's a giant blue dragon trying to burn us all down." He pointed at the beast that blasted the shield futilely.

Arella tried to think and looked at Charmcaster, sighing in anger. "Fine, I shall accept your council, but know that my patience wears thin." She summoned her royal escorts. "Follow me."

Charmcaster watched Arella walk off, annoyed by her pompous stature, but followed her anyway. Dr Strange, Ford, Dipper and Tom followed as well - the Sorcerer looking at Tom with unease as they walked.

* * *

"FOUR YEARS ago, a man named Robert Callaghan accessed an unknown dimension during a conflict with a superhero team called the Big Hero 6 on earth." Dr Strange said in a grand Azarath meeting room where the others were gathered. "What he did not know was that that was the tipping point that allowed an ancient being, whom the council of the Valar dubbed the multiverse's Nightmare, to enact his plan to destroy all reality. Using his immense power, he began to merge all realities into one, making several planets fuse together - the center point of this being earth - and become what those enlightened of us call the Changed Multiverse. His power, while great, is a slow process, one which if completed, would tear reality apart enough for him to escape his prison and destroy everything." Dr Strange said in an ominous tone.

"Wait, the Valar are real?" Charmcaster and Ford asked simultaneously.

"What are the Valar?" Dipper asked.

"The Valar are the embodiment of the Spark of Creation; beings of pure light who have existed since the beginning of the Multiverse who were tasked with making sure Nightmare never escapes his eternal prison." Dr Strange explained.

The Doctor summoned a hologram, depicting what he said. "Nightmare is what existed before creation came to be and he wants to return everything that is to what it once was; nothing. He was however stopped at the point of creation by God and was sealed away. However pieces of him were able to escape his incarceration by slipping through the cracks of his prison due to the fragile nature of reality to different realms which went on to merge with other beings that all seek to reunite with him. One of those beings is a demon called Bill Cipher." He summoned an image of him. "He plans to tear open a dimensional rift on earth and bring Nightmare out of his prison and what he is doing is damaging the already weakened strongholds holding reality in place."

Stephen diminished the hologram. "If we do not stop Bill Cipher from enacting his plan, Nightmare will be released and all reality will cease to exist."

* * *

DRAWING OUT his twin blades, Finn slashed the air before him, sending out a gust of wind that pushed back two beasts that were rushing towards the camp. "Have all the campers been evacuated?!" He asked Wendy.

"Yeah, we're all clear!" Wendy yelled, smacking away a flaming centaur with her axe.

"Then, we'll have to retreat and launch a better plan for now!" Alfonse fired arrows at flying creatures around him. "Fighting this endless wave isn't getting us anywhere!"

Finn nodded and turned to Phoebe who was fighting off a Devilknight Ogre. "Phoebe, cover us - we're pulling back!"

"You got it!" She blew fire between her palms and spread her arms out, creating a wall of flame that kept the beasts at bay.

"Jake, Huntress, we're pulling back!" Finn yelled.

Wendy, Finn, Jake, Alfonse, Huntress and Phoebe ran through the campgrounds and down the road leading towards town - leaving the area just as it was falling apart. Looking at her office break down behind her, Wendy sighed and turned to the others. "We've gotta get back to Dipper and the others; if there's anyone who'd know how to stop this, it'd be them."

Wendy reached for her amulet to call Uncle Ford when a sudden tremor knocked the six off their feet. They pushed themselves up, puzzled when they saw a beam of light rise a few miles up a head. "The town!"

* * *

MARY, MABEL, Mr Poolcheck, McGucket and the campers made their way down a path out of the woods when they felt the tremor as well, looking up a head and seeing a pattern of glowing symbols spread on the ground around the town. Nearby, Luke drew a symbol on the ground with paint, completing a magic circle that sent a huge beam of light into the sky.

"Hey, what're you -." Mary tried to yell when she felt a sudden pain wash over her.

"Mary!" Mabel came to her side.

"What's happening to the town?" Mr Poolcheck said, his face pale in horror.

Mabel looked up and saw several people in the town collapse one by one, some in vehicles that ended up crashing and others falling and causing accidents. She looked closely and saw light particles rise out of the bodies of those who'd fallen, each of them collecting into the beam of light that went upward!

Mary cried in agony and clasped her head, sending out a wave of white energy that knocked Mabel away from her and entered the light beam. Rocks and trees began to rise with the light as the town itself started to get sucked into the sky!

* * *

TOM PASSED out in the Azarath hall room, his body exuding black energy and Dr Strange quickly ran up to him. "No, it's happening already."

"What's wrong with him?" Ford asked.

"He's connected to Nightmare as well - Bill Cipher's plan has already begun." Dr Strange said.

"We must kill him then!" Arella summoned a light mandala. "We must weaken Nightmare anyway we can."

"Wait, we should -," An explosion outside interrupted Dr Strange. Running up to a window, he saw a blast of fire spread across the sky. "Oh my God."

Arella came up to him and saw that the dragon had broken through the barrier and was attacking the people below! "I have to protect my people!" She summoned a magic circuit.

"Arella, please, if we do not work together, far worse is going to happen." Dr Strange stopped her.

Arella looked at him, then the city outside. Sighing, she capitulated. "Follow me."

She summoned a magic circle before her and twirled her fingers, spinning the symbols on the circle's rim. She pushed the circle forward, disassembling it and it turned into a portal to a stairwell and she walked into it. Dr Strange summoned strips of light symbols that wrapped around Tom and lifted him telekinetically, and he walked into the portal as well. "Ford, Dipper, come with us."

Charmcaster watched the men walk in and grunted as she followed as well, entering a darkened stairwell on the other side that led to a golden door. Arella was there already, summoning several small light mandalas that spun and merged with the door's intricate locking mechanism.

"My people have long spoken of the Valar's existence and have trusted those who spoke of them as well." She turned to Dr Strange. "Do not betray my trust, Dr Strange."

She opened the door and led the group into a small room that seemed to have no walls, floor nor roof; seemingly made of pure light only. She gestured to its center where a lectern lay with a large golden book placed atop it. Dr Strange's eyes dilated with surprise, making him absentmindedly drop Tom as he moved up to the book quickly.

"The Book of Infinity!" He began to breath erratically. "How do you have this?"

"Legends say that the wizard Merlin created the self-writing book that recorded everything happening to the stars and constellations of the multiverse." Arella began. "Nobody has ever opened it before to prove the legends true, but I believe you may be able to."

Dr Strange gulped as he heard this and felt his palms become sweaty, steeling himself as he looked at the book before him. Weaving his arms, he slowly summoned an incredibly dense light mandala before him - creating smaller ones wrapping his forearms simultaneously - and aimed it at the book. The book began to budge, spitting out sparks of light as he tried with all his might to open it.

Sweated beaded down his brow as he rotated the magic circle, getting the book to open slightly only for the circles to shatter, making the book fall shut again. He panted and nearly fell to his knees, pushing himself up and dusting his coat. "This -," he exhaled, "is some of the most powerful magic … I've ever encountered."

"So, we're all screwed, huh?" Charmcaster raised her brow. "Well, what did I expect from some hack who just appeared outta nowhere." She summoned a portal. "I dunno about you, but my people are in danger and I'm gonna help them."

"Wait, we can still figure something out." Dr Strange said, discussing with Arella and Charmcaster.

Dipper slipped past the three who slowly began arguing and moved up to the book, feeling drawing to it as he felt its warm glow move around him. Hesitating, he grabbed the book and pulled it open, unveiling a blinding aura that made him back away instantly. Dr Strange, Arella and Charmcaster turned to the book, stunned as it lay open!

"How did -?" All three of them cut themselves off.

Dr Strange saw Dipper covering his eyes and rushed up to him. "How did you …?" He trailed off as he saw the boy's birthmark on his forehead start to glow. "You're one of them …!"

"Something's happening to the book." Charmcaster said, drawing their attention.

Symbols started swirling off the book's pages, turning into ancient text that floated before it. Dr Strange went up to it. "It's some kind of spell … I can't understand it." The other stood there, puzzled and Dr Strange turned to Dipper. "Why don't you try and read it?"

"What? Me?"

"It only responded to you, so maybe you can."

Dipper raised his brow and looked at the three high level magicians standing before him. Hesitating, he went to the book and started to read the book, squinting with curiosity. "The spell has never been used in thousands of years - I can read it, but it's a little difficult."

A loud banging came from outside. "The creatures, they've made their way here!" Arella conjured a magic whip.

"We can't wait here anymore." Charmcaster headed for her portal.

"Wait!" Dr Strange went up to them.

Dipper continued to read and felt an energy build up in him, an strange tongue escaping him in whispers that released a wave of light that shot out of the book. The luminescence went out of the castle and spread throughout the kingdom, burning the monsters to ash and moving over the blue gem dragon. The beast's gem flickered and he became enraged, setting his sights on the castle.

In Gravity Falls, Mary fell unconscious, and in the castle, Tom came to. Dr Strange, Arella and Charmcaster were shocked by what happened and they turned to Dipper who continued to read. Before they could continue however, the dragon smashed into the castle - the loud noise reverberating into the small room they were in.

"Something's entered the castle, I must leave now!" Arella said.

"Leave it to me." Dr Strange said, creating a portal of his own.

* * *

THE TOWN of Gravity Falls began to break apart in the ray that began to pull it up like a tractor beam, drawing people, cars and buildings with it. The campers watched this helplessly and heard footsteps behind them, seeing Stan and Pacifica run up to them, covered in bruises.

"Shit! We barely made it outta there!" Stan huffed and stretched out, seeing the town rise into the air. "Ah, for fuck's sake."

Pacifica watched this as well when the dipper constellation mark on her hand glowed, the light seemingly alive and speaking to her as she saw it. Turning to the light mandala, she held her arm forth and the circle diminished, turning into nothing and making the light beam stop instantly. Luke noticed this and turned to them, transforming into a larger creature and rushing towards them.

"Oh, I'm not running away this time." She pulled out her rifle.

"Neither am I!" Mabel cried and ripped out a tree telepathically, smacking Luke with it and sending him flying. "Let's take him out once and for all.

* * *

FORD ROLLED out of the way as the dragon sprayed fire at him and he blasted a gem with his gauntlets, making it recoil in pain. Dr Strange pinned the monster down with strips of ethereal glass and began conjuring magic. The monster fired a laser out of its forehead gem and Dr Strange blocked it with his own energy, transforming the laser into a portal and sending it behind the monster, sucking it in.

"Hey, tell Yellow Diamond I wanna chat again." Ford mocked the creature as it was being pulled in.

The dragon spat fire wildly as it tried to escape, but vanished into the portal that shut right after. Dipper, Tom, Charmcaster and Arella stepped out of the gateway to the secret room and found the hall damaged after the confrontation. "Now I'll have to renovate this place." Arella huffed at the mess before her.

"Take this as my thanks." Dr Strange snapped his fingers, returning the room back to normal. "Whatever it is that the boy read has momentarily stabilized reality. This is our take Bill Cipher down," He summoned a portal and turned to Ford. "Take this back to earth - I'll join you momentarily so we can end this."

"Thank you." Ford said, helping Tom - who was dazed - enter the portal.

Dipper entered the portal and Dr Strange held Ford back. "I need to talk to you about something before you go."

* * *

DIPPER, TOM, and Ford stepped out of the portal and found themselves on the town's outskirts where Pacifica, Mabel and the campers were fighting Luke. "What's going on here?"

"Exactly what I was thinking!" Bill yelled and fired lightning at them, deliberately missing them. "I try to kill you and you went off into another dimension." He sniffed the air. "And you smell like some annoying magic."

"You've got that right, Bill." Ford stepped up to him. "You've got nowhere to hide this time; we're gonna take you down once and for all."

"Heh, I'd like to see you try!" Bill floated into the air. "My power just keeps growing now that the seal's been weakened. Once we destroy it, the fun and games can begin!" He turned to Luke. "Hey, quit playing around with these little bugs and kill them already! I've got some work to do." He vanished.

The three turned to Luke who stood a few meters away. Holding his arms out, he drew several beasts toward him that broke through the woods, each of them running madly and rushing right into his body! He began to grow larger and his bones broke apart as he began to turn into a massive bulbous monster!

"Okay, gross." Pacifica cringed.

* * *

SOMEWHERE AT the edge of all reality, thirteen giant beings made of light standing at hundreds of meters tall stood before a massive void like entity that dwarfed their size. They created layers and layers of intricate light mandalas that encircled the entity that slowly rippled, making them all worry.

Behind them came Dr Strange who stepped out of a portal, drawing the attention of one being who noticed him without turning around. "We cannot stress the recklessness of your actions, Stephen Strange." The being said. "You think mere human children can face a spawn of the Dark One?"

"I have faith." He said.

"Then let your faith not prove fruitless, for if you fail, we will destroy the earth in order to destroy Bill Cipher and save the multiverse."


	18. Weirdmageddon Phase 2 - Battlefront

**WEIRDMAGEDDON PHASE 2: BATTLEFRONT**

THE SOUNDS of roars and wails meshed with the disgusting sounds of tearing flesh and breaking bone as Luke absorbed the monsters that ran into him. Growing up to twenty feet, the monster became a formless mass with several limbs, wings, horns and faces that ran up its neck, tapering to a large rectangular face filled with holes and a massive mouth filled with worms.

Dipper, Mabel, Wendy, Alfonse, Ford, Stan, Pacifica, Tom, and Mary looked on at the beast in horror as it continued to grow, steeling themselves as it sluggishly moved toward them. Pacifica threw up.

"Yeah, I'm with her on this one." Wendy backed up.

"Uh, Dipper, do you have a spell that could just chuck this into another dimension or something?" Mabel asked.

"Well, I could open a portal, but with the way things are, it could just cause more harm than good." Ford produced his rifle, transforming it into gauntlets. "We're gonna have to fight it.

"This should be fun." Stan drew out a 9mm pistol.

Luke roared and slammed a massive tentacle down, swiping it across the ground towards the group. They had no way to evade it when Tom jumped to action, holding the creature back. His feet broke into the ground and he grunted in pain. "Get out of the way, now!"

The others tried to run, but Tom caved in and get knocked back by the appendage that barreled down towards the others! Jake quickly came to the rescue, stepping on the beast with his massive foot. The dog, standing at 30ft tall, looked down to the others.

"You guys alright?" He asked in a bellowing voice. "I'm just gonna -," Luke flipped him over with his tentacle, destroying trees as he fell back.

Finn, Phoebe and Huntress rushed into the area with Soos, Wendy, and Alfonse; the grass wizard drawing two arrows out of her quill. She bit the arrowheads off and held them out as she ran, releasing a green gas that caused the grass on the ground to grow out rapidly and follow her. Twirling her arms, she directed the grass around the monster, wrapping it tight. "Phoebe, now!"

"Die, die, die!" Phoebe, the Flame Princess, slammed her hands on the grass,sending a violent blaze that consumed the massive creature.

Alfonse transformed his sword into a bow and arrow and fired three arrows into the sky. The projectiles corkscrewed around each other and smashed to pieces of light that rained down over the burning creature. The light particles turned into a magical net that spread over the beast, latching into the ground and contracting on the monster.

Finn came in for the final blow, drawing out a large golden blade out of his pocket-dimension bag and running up to the Elvan light net. Twisting the blade's hilt, the adventurer charged lava through the blade and he leapt into the air, stabbing the net with full force. The molten lava splashed out of the weapon and meshed into the net, pouring the burning magma on the monster.

Wendy, Dipper and the others walked up to the burning monster and watched the net tighten around it. "Ya think it'd kill it?" Wendy asked.

"Everybody get back!" Huntress Wizard yelled.

With a hellish moan, Luke broke out of his binds effortlessly, sending the flames crashing around and singing Jake's fur as he tried to stand up. Quickly putting himself out, the dog saw the monster start to grow and he quickly got up. "Uh-uh, not today, pal!"

Jake grabbed a hold of the beast, wrapping his legs around it like rubber and giving it a nuggie. He began to overpower it, only to realize that it was oozing all over him. He backed away in disgust, only to losing his grip and get flung off the beast again.

Jake came crashing towards the group below; his titanic form blocking the sun as he was about to crush them. Before he did so, he quickly shrank down and fell into Finn's pocket. "'Sup, bro," He farted.

"Luke hasn't stopped growing!" Dipper said.

"We gotta stop the beast's growth from further accelerating," Ford said. "If you can pin it down, I'll be able to take it out using my gauntlets."

"On it!" Finn drew his sword and ran on.

Grappling onto the massive creature, the adventurer went to work cutting down the faces that grew on the beast with his sword as he ran toward the top. Luke lashed out, swinging it's massive tentacles around, one of them headed right toward Ford. Phoebe burned the appendage off, spreading her flames over the ground and wrapping the other tentacles Luke sent out.

Drawing out a bow, Huntress flung it onto the ground, sending out grass and roots that latched onto the creature and pinned it to the ground. Seeing the opening as the beast was bound, Ford put his gauntlets together, turning them into a massive cannon. "Everyone, step aside!"

The cannon drew particles out of the environment and Ford fired at the creature, blasting a large hole into it. The hole bled out and suddenly began to swirl, pulling the beast in like liquid until it vanished into thin air!

Dipper stood there, baffled as Luke was suddenly gone. "What'd you do?"

"I hit the beast in a wave of Pym Particles that sent him into the micro-verse." Ford said, turning his gauntlets back into a rifle. "It shouldn't bother us aga -,"

A loud whooshing sound drew their attention as a massive tentacle sprung out of thin air and flung up, crashing down on the town nearby. The others were stunned as this happened and watched as Luke reappeared and started to grow large again, thrashing about violently.

"We've gotta protect the town and get the campers outta here!" Wendy said, running toward the town.

"I'm coming with you!" Alfonse followed her.

"This leviathan won't quit, will it." Huntress said.

Casting six hand signs, Huntress called to the forest in an ancient tongue, sending several ravens out into a frenzy around the monster, pecking at its flesh violently. Phoebe projected a fire giant around her body, standing high above the twenty foot monster. Putting its hands together, the flame projection created a fire spear and stabbed it into the monster, creating a massive explosion.

Luke writhed under the heavy assault, only to quickly react and fling a tentacle into the fire giant. The creature's limb burned on contact, sending blood spewing down below. The blood however went thick and coated Huntress and Phoebe, immobilizing them and nullifying their attacks.

Finn hacked his way through the monster with his twin swords, grazing against the blades and sending out a gust of wind that cut into the monster. The creature quickly grabbed him with a tentacle and flung him high in the sky, turning it's limbs into several winged beasts that swarmed around him. Finn made quick work of the minions, cutting them down and diving back down to look, ready to strike him from above when he was suddenly hit face first as the monster lurched upward.

Curving upward, Luke began to transform his shapeless form again, creating four legs and a tail that stretched out for several feet. A head tapered out, making the creature look more like a turtle and the abomination howled at the sky, blotching out the sun for those below who looked up at its horrid form.

"Oh, come on!" Finn groaned.

* * *

CHAOS FILLED the streets of Gravity Falls as humanoid, faceless hounds ran out of Luke's stray tentacle and began attacking the civilians. The group of campers who'd returned were sent running, each of the children dropping their guns out of fear and being chased down by various creatures that tried to devour them.

Wendy fought her way through the crowded town center as people ran about to take refuge in the middle of town. She swung her axe at the ground, aiming to create a ditch as usual for the monsters to get trapped in when a set of runes appeared in the ground instead. She looked at her axe in surprise, seeing more symbols light up and saw the monsters get caught in the inscriptions on the ground. Confused, but excited, she ran into the fray, taking out the monsters.

Finn stood atop a car at the site of the stray tentacle and took a look with his binoculars, seeing that it'd slammed over several buildings and ended at the foot of a school. He watched as several smaller demons ran out of the creature's pores and when he saw Wendy use her runes to fight them alongside Alfonse, he grinned.

"Hey, Wendy!" He called out to her. "I know how we can kill this thing."

* * *

FORD, STAN and Dipper watched as Phoebe, Jake, Huntress, and Mabel fought Luke and slowly got more and more overwhelmed by his size and minions. Ford looked through his journal and turned to Dipper. "We have to stop fighting Luke."

"What? Why? He's destroying the town." Stan said.

"We're not going to defeat it at this rate; we need to focus on the bigger issue, closing the magical seal." Ford continued. "There are three points around the town that could be used to bring back power to the seal within twenty four hours of the seal being tampered with."

"Okay, great, where are these points?" Stan grinned.

"I have them already listed here and we could use the amulets to do the job, but we're too small a team." Ford said. "Even if us three split up, the rifts around these points need to be closed before we can re-power them. And we still have to defeat Bill on top of all of this."

"Well, now what?" Dipper raised his brow.

"Dipper? Dipper!" A man's voice came on Dipper's amulet.

"McGucket? How'd you find this signal?"

"I hacked it when I'd met earlier." McGucket said. "Where are you now?"

"On the town's outskirts, why?"

"The dimensional rifts in the town are increasing and we don't stop them now, they'll fracture reality even further."

Ford took the amulet from Dipper. "Fiddleford? Where are you right now?"

"Ford? Is that you? No time no see, pal! I'm at my Mansion doing some scans with Stephen Cello and his niece." McGucket answered.

"Hello!" Lily said on the other end.

Ford groaned, shaking his head. "Okay, listen carefully."

* * *

FORD LOOKED through the leaves and saw Bill Cipher hovering over the camp ruins with his light mandala behind him growing slowly. Looking to the sky, he saw a portal begin to crack open and saw members of the Society of the Eye of Providence around Bill on patrol. He turned to Pacifica, Tom, Stan, Dipper, Mary and Mabel who were crouching behind him and signaled to them, making them split up and put the plan in action. .

Opening Journal Omega, Dipper and Ford began drawing a complex transmutation circle on the ground with chalk as the others spread out. Stan, Pacifica and Mabel ran out and took cover behind rubble; Mabel tapping the ground with her hand as they moved. She looked out as a member drew closer to her when he was suddenly flung up into the air, drawing the attention of the other mages.

"I love this thing." Mabel held her necklace.

The other members began to scramble around and Stan fired four discs on the ground that sent out pulses, drawing in agents and pinning them to the ground. The others that remained were stunned and Pacifica shot them down, aiming for their legs and knees. Refilling her ammo, she looked out and saw Tom and Mary sneaking up to Bill.

Bill sighed. "I can't get anything done around here, can I?"

A clone apparated out of him and swiped his arm, dismantling the rubble around Tom and Mary. "What? It's you, brother? Well, that's a relief!" The clone exclaimed.

"Yeah, I thought it was just the Pines." The original Bill said.

"Oh, you got it wrong, pal." Tom surged with red energy.

"We're here to take you out." Mary rubbed her hands together, spreading a white aura on her palms.

The two Bills laughed and Tom grew annoyed at this, flinging an energy ball that went right through him! "Oh, you have made a big mistake." The clone's eye turned red and he sped toward the two.

* * *

QUENTIN TREMBLY, Fiddleford McGucket, Dr Stephen Cello and Lily Cello assembled a large pole-like machine atop a tall building in the middle of town, trying their best to finish it quick as civilians ran around in a panic. Checking his YEAST scanner, McGucket looked at the portals that crackled open in the sky, seeing monsters come flying down out of one of them.

"This is bad, very bad." His face fell.

"Guess we'll have to increase the radius of the Tent Pole Distrupers to account for the new portals." Dr Cello said.

"Then I'll be here to cheer you brave, fearless, independent women on!" Quentin cried.

"Not to be ungrateful, Mr President, but why are you here?" McGucket asked, typing on the machine's interface.

"A president never hides when his people are in danger!" Quentin started pacing. "And as the Eighth-and-a-Half President of the United States of Amersia, I shall -," A bat monster swooped down and took him away. "My wife awaits!"

Shaking his head, McGucket returned to work when he saw an alert on his scanner. Clicking on it, he brought up a live feed from his house where a portal was forming in his foyer! "My house!"

"What is it?" Dr Cello turned to him.

"I need you and your niece to go to my house and close a portal that's opened there; if my equipment is found, it could create a bigger disaster!" McGucket yelled.

"We're on it!" Lily said and waved her hand, summoning a portal.

McGucket blinked and wiped his glasses, seeing a device that suddenly appeared in her hands. "What the?"

"Monaco is Shakira's long lost sister!" Lily and Dr Cello leapt into the portal, leaving McGucket stunned.

"What the?"

* * *

ALFONSE SLASHED Luke's tentacle repeatedly with his sword and was knocked aside by a deformed bore with holes on its back that sent out a swarm of acidic bees that stung Huntress and Phoebe. Soos beat down a bulbous snake monster when another humanoid creature slashed his back with its long claws. It swung at him again and he held its arms, being pushed back as it bared its jagged teeth at him.

"Whoa, dude, you ever had a mint?" Soos said, pushing his head away.

Jake, as a giant, tried to wrestle him down, but was immediately wrapped in tentacles that sent large spikes into his flesh. He quickly shrank down and plopped on the ground, seeing his blood-soaked fur as wounds covered his body. He looked to Huntress and Phoebe who screamed in pain as the bees tore away at them, and tried to push himself up, only to fall over in pain.

Luke continued to grow larger and larger and all the more shapeless as several tentacles flapped about and monsters ran out of his pus filled orifices. All hope was lost when a sudden loud noise made him freeze in place! His monsters stopped as well and Alfonse, Huntress, Phoebe and Jake looked to Luke as he lurched out violently.

The monster stopped and a hole exploded out of him as Finn and Wendy burst out of him!

Kicking Luke's human form out of the monster, Finn drew his sword and stabbed him in midair, piercing his heart and killing him instantly. Wendy spun her axe in one hand and ran the blade down the larger beast's remains as she came down, spraying his bloody body parts around and cutting it in half. Finn landed beside her and tossed Luke's corpse aside, letting his monstrous form fall apart behind them.

"What'd I miss?" Finn put his sword across his shoulder.

"H-how did you do that?" Alfonse said, ripping the limp tentacle off him.

"I figured the monster's true form was its source of power, so I went right in and took it out." Finn said and looked at his body that was covered in fluids.

"You were pretty insane back there." Wendy said.

"Yeah, but not like you with your crazy axe." Finn turned to her. "Maybe we could train some time."

"Sure," Wendy sheathed the axe.

Alfonse walked toward the others. "We need to get to the town and help the others." He drew his sword. "We can win this war."

* * *

THE PORTAL opened at the front door of McGucket's mansion and Dr Cello and Lily stepped out, looking around and seeing the chaos in the town in the distance. Dr Cello looked for the key in his pocket, but Lily quickly kicked the door down and ran in.

"This isn't our place, you know." He walked in after her. "And besides, breaking the window would've been a better choice."

"Ah, anything works." She shrugged.

"You should be more careful, Lily." Dr Cello said sternly. "What you did back there was very -,"

Blazing hot fire suddenly burst out of thin air, forcing Dr Cello and Lily to shield their eyes as a massive dark portal opened. Looking on, they begun to panic as the devil Trigon looked at them from a fiery realm on the other side. "Oh now you don't!" Dr Cello threw a ballpoint pen at the portal, closing it instantly.

Low growls emanated around them and several dark demons appeared around them, each armed with weapons covered in archaic magical symbols. Surrounding the two, the spirits eyed the two and the largest among them, one with massive ram horns pointed at them, making the others snarl ravenously.

"This will be easy." Lily chuckled and ran off.

"Ah, c'mon!" Dr Cello frowned and the monsters descended on him.

* * *

A BATTLE was waged on the ruins of the camp as Tom and Mary fought Bill, Stan, Mabel and Pacifica fought the wizards of the secret society, and Dipper and Ford continued to draw their transmutation circle. Shooting down the last mage, Pacifica cocked her gun and looked around when Deming, Bill's subordinate, grabbed and conjured a green light with her free hand that she aimed at Stan and Mabel.

"Sleep!" The woman said, the two suddenly falling into a trance.

The witch grinned as she put them to sleep and held Pacifica in her grasp when Pacifica's mark came alive again and burned her hand. The sorceress screamed in pain, letting Pacifica, Mabel and Stan go and Pacifica took the opportunity, bashing her head with the butt of her rifle. She looked to Tom and Mary who fought the two Bills and she went up to them.

Bill's clone leapt up and crashed on the ground with a heavy fist, manifesting a pulsing shock wave that slammed onto Mary's shield. She glanced to Tom at her right who futilely threw punches at the original Bill that bounced off his telepathic shield. She frowned and looked at the clone who hovered toward her.

"You can't defeat a god!" The projection cackled.

Looking at him closely, Mary noticed him fizzle ever so slightly as he moved. She grinned at this. "Think again."

Mary summoned a miniature shield inside the clone and he raised his brow. "What's that supposed to do?" The girl flew toward him. "Girl, don't you get that your attacks don't hurt me at all?"

Collecting energy in her fist, the girl fired at a beam at the clone, going right through him as he said. He remained chuckling when he realized that she wasn't aiming at him, but the smaller shield that sent out rippling sparks that spread out, destabilizing him.

"Try making better clones next time, dipshit!" Mary poured energy in and destroyed the clone, turning it into mere particles of light.

"Huh?" Bill saw this, accidentally letting his shield down and letting Tom through. "Oh, great."

"Knock, knock, motherfucker!" Tom punched the demon in the gut, sending him barreling into the ground.

Drawing in a symbol on the circles outer rim, Ford stepped back and felt hope as the circle began to shimmer. "We're almost there."

* * *

DR CELLO and Lily fell out of a portal at the feet of McGucket as he continued working on his machine. "What happened?" He helped them up.

"There was a demon entering your house!" Dr Cello panted. "We couldn't stop it."

"Well, it doesn't matter now." McGucket walked back to the machine. "Once all the portals are closed, all the anomalies that crossed over will be sent right back." He pulled a lever and the machine began to light up.

Several waves of light rippled out of the contraption, moving over the streets, forests and the campsite far off. The waves glowed softly around and portals begun to close around him.

McGucket smiled as he saw this. "This is the end."

* * *

A BRIGHT light shone out of the transmutation circle and Dipper and Ford stepped away from it as several alchemy symbols rose out of the drawing. "Reality is finally stabilizing!" Ford grinned. "The seal around the town will finally be fixed!"

Dipper and Ford cheered excitedly and Tom heard this as he walked up to Bill who lay flat on the ground. "You heard that? Your big bad plan is ruined." He stepped on his body. "What now, Dorito?"

Bill's eye flew open and Tom and Mary exploded into multiple perfect cubes that flew into him as he flew up and created a light mandala behind him. Ford saw this and reached for his gun, "Dipper, get ba -,"

Bill held his hand out and created a green magic circle, freezing everyone and everything in place. He held the same arm up and threw up several hand signs at impossible speeds, causing bursts of light to shoot up around him. Alchemy symbols run down his eye like text on a screen and the symbol of an inverted eye appeared on his eye.

"It's party time!"

He cackled evilly and the earth broke apart, sending the forest, the camp, and the entire town into the air. Several portals flew open and demons and monstrous abominations rushed out, crashing onto the floating pieces of earth and creating havoc. A dark sixteen-dimensional rune thousands of meters wide appeared in the sky and tore open, revealing the dark void on the other side where the thirteen light beings tried to hold the Dark One at bay!

"I'm coming home …" Bill said quietly.

Sounds of screeches and destruction filled Dipper's ears as he came to and he saw Ford, Mabel, Tom, and Mary floating limply around him. He floated as well and pulled himself up to Ford, puling him around.

He was dead.

"Uncle Ford?"

"Dipper!" A familiar voice called. "Dipper, are you there?!"

He turned and saw Pacifica floating around in the distance. He didn't go to her, his heart welling with confusion and pain when he felt something small come out of his jacket.

"I've finally done it!" Bill cried. "I've finally achieved everything I've wanted! I can rule! I can destroy anything! I can kill God!" He laughed, almost not believing his words. "I can kill God … I can kill God!"

A boundless darkness burst out of the demons body, all-consuming, infecting and destroying everything and everyone in its path as it begun consuming the town!

Dipper watched as the darkness came toward him, looking blankly toward Pacifica who was being surrounded by monsters that begun to devour her. The creatures ripped her apart and he didn't react; the bloodcurdling screams filling his ears, yet not moving him at all. He looked to what lay in his hand - the Infinity Die that Ford gave to him when they returned from Azardomain.

"This is the embodiment of probability itself, a forgotten Infinity Stone according to a red-faced being I stole it from." Ford's words rung in his mind again. "It can grant your greatest desire, or destroy all realities and dimensions. Only use it if everything goes wrong."

Dipper looked up as Pacifica's body was ripped apart in half and tears flooded his eyes as he held up the Die before him.

As the darkness consumed him, Dipper Pines threw the Infinity Die out before him, the stone itself getting consumed by Bill himself.

Everything

Everyone

Vanished…


	19. The god of Bill Cipher

****WEIRDMAGEDDON PHASE 2: THE GOD BILL CIPHER****

htrae eht deklaw eve dna mada os dna … thgil saw ereht dna

SWIRLING WINDS engulfed the brunette boy as he came to; the sounds of wailing voices and thunder shaking him out of his daze as he floated in pure darkness. Despite this however, he could see someone standing up ahead - their size hard to tell and their features invisible yet not simultaneously. The boy tried to reach out when a flash of light pulled him out of the dark space, leaving the incorporeal being sad, yet gratified.

Dipper's eyes flung open as he was flung through a hyper stream of light and intense energy. His birthmark came aglow and shone over the spectrum before him, bringing alight images of beings of light fighting an endless void of dark. He blinked and saw a large faceless being in a cloak seated on a throne of bones in a dark dimension - in his hand a large book that had his name on it.

"What the?"

Everything suddenly stopped, the ticking of a clock soon coming after and blaring in his head and in the space around him. Dipper held his head in pain and felt a force escape his body. He looked on and saw several versions of himself surge out of his body, each varying in age and the oldest of them weeping in remorse and grief. The realm shattered and he fell back once more.

* * *

DIPPER FELL back hard on the ground, rubbing his head and looking around - realizing that he was back in the ruins of the campsite in Gravity Falls. He looked around and smiled as he saw Pacifica, Stan and Mabel fight off members of the High Society and Tom and Mary battle Bill in the distance. He looked forward and saw Ford drawing the transmutation from earlier. He realized.

"I went back in time!"

"What?" Ford raised his brow.

Dipper looked down at his right hand, seeing the Infinity Die embedded in his hand and turned to see Tom knock Bill Cipher off his light mandala. Feeling the power course through his veins, Dipper rushed out of cover and ran toward Tom and Mary.

"Dipper, what're you doing!?" Ford called out.

"Tom, get away from there!" Dipper yelled.

"What? Why would I -," Tom cut himself off as he saw Dipper's arm emit an azure glow. "The heck?"

Dipper leapt forth, feeling the Infinity Die lift him higher into the air, and he clenched his fist, creating lightning like waves that burst through the air. Bill flung his eye open, ready to absorb Tom and Mary, only to receive a punch in the eye that dug him into the earth, creating a giant crater that tore apart half the forest!

Tom and Mary froze in shock as Dipper pushed himself up before them, his arm bursting violently with intense aura. The boy held his arm, feeling the energy nearly break his arm apart when the die suddenly popped out of his palm, bouncing lightly off the ground. He breathed heavily and looked at his hand, not seeing a single scratch or sign that there was a stone embedded in him.

"Uh … what just happened?" Mabel asked.

"I don't have time to explain!" Dipper said, looking to Ford. "Uncle Ford, we need to come up with plan quick; bringing back the seal doesn't stop Bill!"

"Doesn't stop, wha - we haven't even done it yet," Ford's brow furrowed.

"Ah, so that's what happened," Bill said and shot out of the hole in the ground, leaving a blazing flame below. "You changed something, didn't ya? I can feel the air itself move differently," the demon looked around, seeing several foreign particles in the atmosphere. "Well, whatever! I'll make sure you don't meddle with reality anymore!"

Bill channeled magic through his right hand when a light disc suddenly severed it in half! The creature froze and looked off in the distance, seeing a large portal embedded with magic symbols open on a far off mountain. He squinted and looked at the group of people who'd passed through the gateway, recognizing one of them that began to make his blood boil.

"The Sorcerer Supreme!"

"Heh, guess I didn't need to introduce myself." Dr Strange dusted his coat.

The wizard dismissed the portal and stepped ahead of the group of he'd brought along. They were mages from all over the universe, among them being Arella of Azardomain, her disciples and Marco Diaz who stood with a cloaked figure. Bill quickly reformed his limb and turned to the army on the mountain, almost ignoring Dipper and the others.

"You do know nobody's buying the disguise, right?" Marco said to the cloaked person.

"Ssh! You're ruining it!" The person snapped at him and threw her garment off, revealing herself, "I am Star Butterfly!" She said proudly and took a flashy stance.

Mary, who was far off with Tom and the others, squinted, "What?"

"So, Doctor? What's made you show your ugly face around here?" Bill hovered toward him.

"I've had a discussion." Dr Strange said.

"Oh, One-Eyed Strange's spoken, huh? Couldn't find that piece of garbage who's been hiding between dimensions since reality ended." Bill said, his voice growing deeper with rage.

"And he told me how to defeat you."

"Really? Let's see what that old loser taught you!" Bill raised his hand, opening several portals behind him that poured monsters out of Muspelheim and the Null Void.

"With pleasure!" Dr Strange threw up hand signs and brought up seven magic discs stacked one after another. "Go!" He told Arella.

Giving a nod, Arella sent out her mages and turned to launch her own attack when Bill Cipher struck the mountain with a massive bolt of lightning, sending everyone flying back. Dr Strange remained in place, the discs shielding him and Bill Cipher came down with a massive enlarged hand, smashing the remaining shields to pieces.

"I wonder if killing you here will get rid of that one-eyed insect!" Bill laughed and launched a relentless attack on the sorcerer.

Star, Marco and the mages were flung through the air in the aftershock of the explosion, crashing down to the ground several meters below. Star reached for Marco when he suddenly disappeared, making her panic. She caught herself and landed on the ground, looking around in confusion.

"Marco?" Star called out. A humming caught her attention and she turned to see Marco step out of a portal which he closed with dimensional scissors. "Where'd you get those? I lost mine in space."

"I've been training with Hicapoo." He said and she frowned slightly. "What?"

"Whatever, let's just -,"

A massive laser blast burst through the mountain, nearly incinerating the two as it dismantled the land mass and burned through the forest. The two looked through the shattered rock heap, seeing Bill Cipher floating in the air with six arms spread around him with several eyes on his palms.

"Why did I come here?" Marco groaned.

Dr Strange flew around the demon as he flung his massive limbs about, producing ethereal snakes out of his palms that chased after him. The sorcerer disintegrated one coming at him with a spell, getting caught off from behind and sent crashing on the rubble of the campsite near Ford.

"Dr Strange!" Ford helped him up.

"He's far tougher than I thought." Stephen panted. "Do you still have the stone?"

"I'm afraid Dipper already used it."

Dr Strange squinted and waved his hand over his eyes, enabling him to see the foreign particles in the air. "We've already used our trump card?"

"There you are!" Bill Cipher yelled and flew after him.

Dr Strange waved his hand, sending the demon to another dimension instantly and paced around, stroking his chin. "What're we gonna do now?"

Dipper's jaw dropped as Bill was suddenly gone, tugging at the wizard's coat. "H-h … how did you-you, you?"

"He's far from defeated; he'll break out in mere moments." Dr Strange said. "Without a safety net, all reality would be -,"

Star and Marco apparated beside him. "Hey, Doctor guy, why are we here exactly?"

"We're trying to -,"

A loud explosion drew their attention as the air itself broke like glass and Bill Cipher shot out of a dark realm. "You're gonna die for that, you lil brat."

"Alright, guys, here's the deal," Dr Strange summoned nine light discs around the demon and froze him in time. "We've gotta bind Bill Cipher down and send him to the dimension where the Truth resides; he'll try to bargain there with an ancient all-knowning prick, giving the Valar enough time to trap him along with the Dark One. I'll need Tom, Star and the white-haired girl -,"

"Mary," She corrected.

"And Mary to help me weaken Bill and I'll need Dipper, Ford, and the blonde girl to draw this transmutation circle that will open the Truth realm." Dr Strange summoned a projection of the circle and threw it at Ford.

"Uh, why do you need me?" Pacifica asked. "I mean, I know a lil bit about Alchemy, but I'm no expert."

"Wow, Pacifica being humble? That's a new one!" Mabel said, annoying her.

"You and Dipper have marks of the Valar," Dr Strange explained. "I don't know how or why, but they'll help strengthen the spell far beyond my capability."

"So, I'm more powerful than you?" Dipper exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Ha-ha, real funny kid."

The earth rumbled and they turned to see Bill scratching at the magic circles around him. "Did you think that being without age can be trapped in time!" He punched the symbols, shattering them. "Who do think I am?"

"You're the lil bitch who's ass I'm about to kick!" Tom flew toward him.

"Thanks for the power-up, kid!" Bill held his arm up, drawing Tom toward him. Dr Strange chanted a spell in an ancient language and shoved Bill Cipher back with a telepathic force, making the demon fidget and twitch. "W-w-what's happening!?" The demon yelled as he lurched violently.

"Fourth-Dimensional Arcane Magic." Dr Strange stepped forward. "Fighting you should be easier now that you're consciousness is being ripped between dimensions."

"You think I don't know this magic? I can break outta this easy!"

"Let's see how fast you are at breaking several million spells while fighting the Master of the Mystic Arts!" Dr Strange flew up to him and blasted him with a red energy blast.

Bill was flung back by the blast, trying to pull his mind together when Tom appeared beside him and punched him down, driving him deep into the ground and sending trees flying. The demon began to move more erratically, his body flashing like he was teleporting in the same place and he knocked Tom away, sending him flying into space.

"Bubble Storm Cherry Cyclone!" Star leapt above Bill and swiped her wand, conjuring a bubble-wrapped thunder cloud filled with cherries that crashed onto him.

The blast sent him crashing deeper into the ground, burning him in the dark depths below. The area fell silent when the ground nearby erupted like a volcano, sending up lava as Bill flew right out and summoned his six arms again. Swinging his arms down, he sent the lava out, burning his own worshipers on the ground as he aimed for Dipper and Ford.

Mary jumped to action and erected a white force field over the ground, holding the lava back. Bill growled, ready to attack her when Tom rushed back up to him and punched him in the face, sending him crashing into the ground. The boy went in again, ready to attack and Bill blocked the punch - the mighty collision creating blinding sparks that went out through the skies above, far enough for citizens in neighboring towns to see.

Tom pushed against the demon and grabbed his fingers, ripping his fist clean in half and punching Bill again, digging him into the earth. The boy hovered over him, his eyes blazing with rage, and he raised his fist, clasping it and draining the clouds in the sky above into the energy surrounding him. Charging lightning, Tom crashed down and bashed him right in the eye, creating another massive blast.

* * *

FINN LOOKED to the forest from the streets in town as this happened, wondering what the ruckus was when a Minotaur came charging at him. Wendy came to his aide and hacked the creature away and making him remember the battle they were in as several creatures flooded the town.

Drawing his twin swords, Finn began cutting through the horde, sending up waves of razor sharp wind as he manipulated the air with the blades, and he spun the weapons, catching monsters in a mini-tornado that grated them. Wendy made quick work of the monsters as well, slicing them up with her axe, summoning ancient runes that trapped them and hacking ditches into the ground that swallowed them into the earth.

Smacking a monster away with a monster with the hilt of his sword, Finn turned to the girl. "Hey, where'd you get the cool axe?"

"An ogre tried to eat a buncha kids so I kicked its ass and stole it." She brandished the weapon. "Now I've got the power of its ancestors."

"Math." Finn nodded.

"Young one!" A voice called and Arella landed before them, bringing her mages with her that joined the battle and protected the fleeing townspeople.

"Who're you?" Wendy asked.

"The Sorcerer Supreme sent me here for you." She walked up to them and turned to Finn. "Listen carefully."

* * *

RUNNING HIS chalk along the ground, Ford completed the large transmutation circle and looked to his right as the battle with Bill waged on. "Alright, all you have to do is put your hands in the center." He turned to Dipper and Pacifica.

"Are you sure we're actually able to do this?" Pacifica asked.

"If Dr. Strange says you can, you should be."

"Whoa, wait," Dipper cut in, turning to Pacifica. "Are you sure about this?"

"Of course I am, everything's riding on this." She said with a grin. Dipper paused. "Dipper, I'll be fine - quit worrying." She held his hand, still failing to convince him.

Tom flew up to Bill and locked fists, making the earth below shake. Knocking his fist aside, the boy unleashed a barrage of blows that rocked the monster and he slammed his hands together, smacking him down to the earth where Star charged up her wand.

"Bear Plush Rainbow Bat!" Star cried, turning her wand into a giant rainbow colored baseball bat with a plush bear head on its end.

"Ah, for fuck's sake!" Bill groaned and Star whacked him in the face, knocking him into a cluster of trees nearby.

"Okay, here goes." Pacifica clapped her hands together and turned to Dipper who nodded reluctantly.

The boy slapped his hands together and large flashes of lightning burst out of the transmutation circle they knelt upon. Seeing the symbols begin to turn, Ford turned to the battle. "Dr. Strange, we've completed the circle!"

"I could tell!" The sorcerer answered as he completed the two-hundred-and-third twelve-meter wide light circle in his magical construction.

Waving his hands, the Doctor compressed the intricate mechanism into a single palm sized magic circle and he turned to the battle as Star bashed the demon with a narwhal blast. Whispering a spell, the sorcerer teleported before the demon and summoned two ethereal clones beside him, each with a magic circle in hand. Their eyes glowed white and they pushed the discs into the demon, drawing a pained scream out of him.

Light bled out of the demon and his body cracked, making him thrash and lurch in pain. "Step back!" The three doctors said, transforming back into one and jumping back.

Lightning flashed in the sky and out of thin air came thirteen swords that pinned the demon into the ground. Shaking himself back into this reality, the Doctor turned to Ford. "Open the gateway!"

Dipper and Pacifica shared a nod and moved to touch the circle when Bill suddenly yelled out in rage, drawing everyone's attention. The thirteen swords suddenly shattered, along with Ford's transmutation circle and the demon shot up, his body shifting back in place.

Bill snapped his fingers, creating a shock wave that knocked Tom and Mary out instantly. "I told you I'd break your spell." He turned to the Doctor.

"Goddammit." Dr. Strange huffed and the demon grabbed him.

"Bye, bye!" The demon clenched his fist, turning the Doctor to dust. He growled. "I guess One Eye taught you that annoying trick, huh?" He turned to his left and saw the real Dr. Strange in the distance. The Doctor summoned a portal above Ford, Dipper and Pacifica, and Bill Cipher pulled against the air itself, dragging the sorcerer into his grasp. "You think you can run?"

"I wasn't trying to."

"Well, no matter." Bill tossed the Doctor aside and began to grow, reaching hundreds of feet into the air and raising his hand to the dark sky portal to the Dark One's prison. "I've got a date with destiny!"

Turbulent winds shot out of the demon, rattling the forest and knocking the others off their feet. Shielding his face, Dipper turned to Ford. "Uncle Ford, can we fix the circle in time?"

"It's not possible!" Ford grabbed a rock as he was nearly blown off. "Bill's become too powerful.

The winds intensified and Pacifica clung to a rock nearby, getting carried away along with it. "Pacifica!" Dipper cried out, trying and failing to catch her.

Pacifica hurled through the air, getting blown toward the town when a figure fell out of the portal Dr Strange opened, grabbing her and landing on the ground nearby. Pacifica opened her eyes and saw who had caught her.

"Finn?"

"Finn? What're you doing here?" Dipper asked.

"I'm here to help." Finn walked toward them and blown back the winds. He stepped forward, fighting against the force of the storm and activated clamps on his boots that held him down. Setting Pacifica down, he turned to Ford. "The wizard guy told me you guys would need this!" He held up a small red pearl.

Ford's eyes widened in shock. "A Philosopher's Stone!" He grabbed it quickly. "Where'd you find this?"

"In a lab in Ooo - I didn't know what it was for, so I kept it." Finn explained, "What does it do?"

Ford sifted his mind, "Now it all makes sense - this's Alchemy!" He said excitedly. "If we used the transmutation circle and this stone, we could finally seal Bill away!"

The earth began to shake violently and knock people into the air, getting caught by the winds around Bill that started to form a violent tornado. Rising into the air, Dr. Strange summoned light discs on his palms and sent out energy whips, grabbing Tom, Star and Mary, teleporting away with them. Appearing beside Ford, Dipper, Finn, and Pacifica with the others, the Doctor conjured a barrier around them and looked to Bill, seeing the sky darken as he got closer to the portal.

"Whoa ..." Star said blankly.

"Seems you got my message." The Doctor turned to Finn.

"The transmutation circle broke! What do we do?" Ford yelled.

"We'll have to construct it again then." The Doctor said. "I'll buy us some time!" He threw up a hand sign and pulled his hands apart, opening the Time Stone embedded in his amulet. Summoning light discs on his palms, he aimed them at Bill Cipher, freezing him in time. He began to turn him back when the discs shattered!

"What happened?" Tom frowned.

"He's too strong now!" Dr. Strange said. "Only something as powerful as the Infinity Gauntlet could hold him back now!"

"So, it's all over?" Mary said, her expression filling with worry as she held Tom's hand.

"Not exactly …" Dipper said slowly, turning to Dr. Strange. "I read a spell from the Book of Infinity in Azardomain; I think it could defeat Bill."

"What was it?" The Doctor turned to him.

"It was a spell only beings called Demi-Valar could use," Dipper said.

"What're Demi-Valar?" Pacifica raised her brow.

"You." Star chimed in.

"What?"

"You, Dipper and I are among the few beings in the multiverse chosen by the Valar to take out spawns of Nightmare," Star said, "People like Tom and Mary."

"What're you talking about? I'm no Demi-Valar or whatever the heck you're talking about." Pacifica said and turned to Dipper, seeing him pause. "Right?"

"I think she's right." Dipper said slowly. "I mean, it explains why I was the only one who could open the book." He frowned. "It also explains the symbol on your hand."

Pacifica stopped for a second and looked at her hand, seeing the little dipper mark begin to glow. "So … I'm not human?"

"No, you are." Star stepped forward. "Nothing about you is different, except that the Valar have allowed beings like us to harness bits of their power in order to hold the Dark One and his forces back."

"This doesn't make any sense." Pacifica sifted her head.

"It might not make any sense, but that's how things are." Star put her hand on her shoulder. "I still don't get most of this really."

"If you three Demi-Valar, then you should be able to do this spell, right?" Dr. Strange asked.

"Well, yeah, but …" Dipper hesitated, "The book said that those with a low threshold for magic wouldn't handle it," He turned to Pacifica, "One of us could die doing this."

Pacifica's brows stitched and she looked at Bill, seeing him draw closer and closer to the portal while the surrounding environment shattered to pieces. Feeling her palms sweat, she turned to Dipper, "Let's do it."

"No, we can't! it's too dangerous!" Dipper yelled, "There has to be some other -,"

"There isn't." Dr. Strange said. "All the spells I have now have failed and I can't get to my artifacts because Bill has trapped us here. There's nothing more that can be done." He frowned. "I'm sorry."

Dipper looked around, feeling his heart race as the others began to lose hope. "No, no, no, no, there has to be another way!"

"Dipper," Pacifica cut him off, "We have to do this … There's no other way."

Dipper tried to speak, failing to come up with the words to speak. "We don't have a choice anymore." Star said.

Dipper sifted his mind and huffed, holding his hands out to Star and Pacifica. The girls raised their brows in confusion, but held his hand anyway, joining in a circle. Their marks began to glow; Dipper's birthmark on his forehead, Pacifica's mark on her palm and Star's marks on her cheeks. Beneath their feet came a magic circle that shone brightly, nearly blinding those around them.

"We call upon thee of thirteen, the pure guardians that preside over all reality." Dipper began, the light from the circle growing brighter. "We call upon thee as a gathering of three, summoning thy power to cast aside the embodiment of darkness and cast him to the far reaches of Nihilo!"

The magic circle began to rotate, it's symbols oscillating and causing the earth to rumble. Tom, Mary, Finn, Mabel, Ford and Dr. Strange watched in awe as the three began to illuminate light themselves, almost appearing to become part of it as the earth shook even more.

Magic symbols spread across the ground and rushed toward Bill, turning into chains that shot out and latched around Bill, wrapping tightly around him. "What the….!?" A portal opened on the ground and the chains began to drag the demon down below into an empty abyss. "No, no, no, no!" He reached up to the sky. "I won't lose again."

Bill grabbed the sky, pulling it as if it were cloth and he began to dig his way up, yanking against the chains that dragged him down. Pacifica screamed in pain and her body began to crack, sending ripples through the magic circle that made it destabilize.

"Pacifica!" Dipper let go of Star, causing the circle to fizzle out.

"No, Dipper, I'm fine!" Pacifica pulled herself up. "Let's finish this!"

"But, you're -,"

"I said I'm fine!" She yelled at him, her face breaking apart and pieces of it flying off with the wind. "I can do this." She said, failing to fight off tears as the left side of her body broke apart.

Dipper frowned and shut his eyes, grabbing Star's hand once more and starting the spell again. Star watched as Pacifica began to disintegrate and saw the grief on Dipper's face. Reluctantly, she poured her energy in again, summoning more chains that wrapped around Bill Cipher.

The demon struggled against the pull of the chains futilely, but was dragged down all the same. He was drawn in more and more when Pacifica wailed in pain again, causing Dipper to worry. He held himself however and continued the spell, letting her suffer as the monster was pulled down further.

Tears ran down his face as he felt Pacifica's hand tremble in his grasp as she tried to pull away from him as he held her on. He clenched his hand tighter, keeping her in the circle when he suddenly felt nothing! He opened his eyes and saw Pacifica's arm had disappeared!

"Dipper?"

The girl turned to ash and was sucked into the portal beneath Bill. "Pacifica!"

The portal closed and the light circle disappeared, freeing Bill Cipher who rose into the air. "You failed! You fucking failed!"

The demon cackled and Dipper fell to his knees, wordlessly looking at the trail of sand left on the ground.

"I think it's about time you humans learned." Bill held his hand out at them. "You don't fuck with a god!"

Summoning energy in his hand, the demon prepared to fire at the humans when the portal reopened beneath him. Before he could react, he was sucked in as well, vanishing into the dark realm in an instant. The portal closed once more, causing the portal in the sky to close as well.

Ford, Dr. Strange, Tom, Mary, Star and Mabel looked at Dipper as he knelt silently ahead of them. Mabel, trembling with tears, moved up to her brother, but Ford stopped her, looking back at the boy.

The boy picked the ashes and they vanished in his hands, disappearing out of existence.

"Pacifica …"


	20. Epilogue

****EPILOGUE****

QUINJETS ROAMED the skies of Gravity Falls hours after the battle as SHIELD arrived on the scene and helped out civilians. "I assure you, ma'am, it was only an earthquake." Phil Coulson said, waving a small pen-shaped device in front of her eyes that wiped her memory. Leaving her dazed, he walked on with May who looked at the destroyed buildings and people receiving treatment on from SHIELD paramedics.

"Sure is gonna be a pain in the ass wiping people's memories one by one." She said.

"It's more personal," Phil pocketed the device. "If we're gonna lie on such a grand scale, I'd rather do it to their face."

"I think his method is more efficient." May pointed to Iron Man who flew around, shining blue light rays on people on the ground.

Spinning a light disc before him, Dr. Strange went to work, putting a building back together and reassembling a damaged car. Dismissing the portal, he moved on to the next building when Phil walked up to him. "An apocalypse level event and you leave it to a bunch of kids instead of the Avengers?" Phil castigated, "Didn't think you'd be so careless."

"I have my reasons for doing so." Dr. Strange said, summoning another light mandala, "What's important is that the world is saved."

"If you say so." Phil said, looking around. "Whatever it was, at least you kept it contained to this town and didn't let it spread, so I'd say you did a good job."

"We have more pressing matters on our hands." Dr. Strange fixed another building and turned to him. "The conversion, it's -,"

"We know - more and more otherworldly locations keep popping up and it's getting harder and harder to mitigate the damage." Phil said, "We may be recruiting more heroes to deal with the threats that keep piling up, but I fear the day may come when everyone realizes what happens."

"Well, you shouldn't even consider it." Dr. Strange frowned. "Doing that would -,"

"Create untold chaos, we know." May said, "We've done the calculations."

Dr. Strange huffed. "Good enough." He rose into the air. "I have business to attend to elsewhere."

He flew off, leaving the two on the ground. "You think I should get a cape?"

"No." May walked off.

"Ah, c'mon, I wanna look more like the other heroes." He followed her. "What about a long coat?"

She ignored him as she walked on.

* * *

DIPPER SAT silently on a log outside the reformed camp grounds as campers roamed around chattering, his bloodshot eyes set on the ground before him. Wendy, Alfonse, Finn, Phoebe, Jake, Huntress, Star, Tom, Mary, Mabel, Soos, Stan and Ford stood behind him, watching in concern. Ford looked at the Infinity Die and pocketed it, wondering what Dipper had gone through as he'd used it.

"What happened?" Jake asked Finn who shook his head, silencing him.

"Should I say anything to him?" Stan asked Ford.

"What would you say?" Ford said. "He did all he could twice and failed to save his friend - there's nothing that amend that."

"Well, what if I -," Mabel tried to speak when Dr. Strange arrived.

"How is he?" Dr. Strange asked.

"The same." Ford looked at Dipper. "He's unresponsive."

"Well, he needs time." Dr Strange said and turned to the others. "Let's give him space." Dr Strange gestured towards the woods, leading the others to spread out. "I have to return before I run out of energy - reality is still volatile and opening too many portals right now would cause more tears in reality."

"I understand." Ford said.

"If you have anyone to say goodbye to, do it now - we'll be leaving in ten minutes." Dr. Strange said to Finn and the others who nodded.

Dr. Strange looked around, seeing the trees he'd reformed and remembering the towering figure of Bill Cipher standing over them before. He walked toward Dipper when he heard a portal open nearby, seeing Dr. Cello, McGucket, and Lily step out of it.

"What are you doing!? Are you trying to cause more damage?" Dr. Strange frowned.

"Calm down, we know what we're going." McGucket said. "Besides, you should be grateful -we've managed to stabilize the rifts and reform the seal around the town."

"Well, thank you then." Dr Strange cleared his throat.

"Uhm Doctor, might I have a word with you." Dr. Cello walked up to him. "It's about San Fransokyo."

Finn, Phoebe, Huntress, Jake, Wendy, Alfonse, Tom, Star, and Mary chatted in the woods a little bit away from Dipper. "Well, my shoulder hurts a lil, but I'd say that monster guy wasn't too difficult." Jake said.

"Dude, he kicked your ass." Tom said, getting a laugh from the others.

"Well, I'm not the only one." Jake mumbled.

"I must say, you are all powerful warriors." Alfonse said.

"Well, I'm not." Star stretched out. "I'm not into this whole cosmic mumbo jumbo about fighting demons or whatever."

"Yeah, I could do without any more Dark business for a while." Mary said.

"Regardless, you were all impressive." Alfonse said. "I'd entrust my lives to all of you."

"Whoa, let's not get that touchy, man." Tom backed up.

"He's right." Wendy said. "I hope we can meet again some time."

"Me too, even though I haven't had much time to talk to any of you, you're all still pretty fun." Phoebe grinned.

"Well, I'll be seeing ya." Wendy said, walking off.

The others continued talking and Finn remained quiet, watching Wendy leave. Seeing an opening, he followed her. "Hey, it's Wendy, right?"

"Yeah," Wendy chuckled. "What? I remembered your name and we didn't even talk when we came over last time." She folded her arms.

"Y-yeah," Finn rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as she laughed. "Well, you were pretty good back there."

"Ah, we kinda went over it with the others, so." Wendy shrugged. "It's all in the axe, really."

"Sure." He smiled and reached into his bag. "Hey, I dunno when you'd have time or when we'd ever meet again, but I wanted you to have this." He handed her a black rock.

Wendy looked at the stone, confused. "What is it?"

"It's a travel stone." He said. "It can teleport you anywhere in the world and I've marked it for Ooo. Any time you'd wanna stop by, just turn the dial and it'd bring you to my realm. We could train, battle monsters, anything."

"Hmm." Wendy looked at the stone. "Interesting." She pocketed it, "It's a date then."

Finn jerked back, his face turning red. "Uh, uh -,"

Wendy chuckled and walked on, "Bye, Finn."

Finn watched her walk off, failing to notice Jake standing behind him. "So, another girl you're gonna be crying about in a few months, huh?"

"What? No, what're you talking about?" Finn turned to him.

"I'll buy the tissues in advance." Jake left.

"Jake, wait!" Finn ran after him, annoyed as the canine cackled when he saw Dr. Strange had returned.

"Is everyone ready?" The Doctor asked.

"Sure as we'll ever be." Huntress said.

"Okay then." Dr. Strange opened a portal to the Candy Kingdom.

Finn, Jake, Huntress, and Phoebe made their way into the portal, saying their goodbyes to Wendy and Mabel who stood nearby. Alfonse watched them leave and went up to the Doctor. "Sorcerer Supreme."

"It's Dr. Strange." He said.

"Well, Doctor, I'd like to return to Alfheim." Alfonse continued. "I'd like to report what happened to my king."

"Very well." The Doctor erected a gateway.

"Wait, you're leaving?" Mabel came up to him.

"Yes," Alfonse said. "I'd love to stay, but I still have a duty to my kingdom."

"Oh …" Mabel's face fell. "Wha, when will you be ba -," Alfonse kissed her, catching the girl off-guard. "Wh-wha …"

"I shall return, my lady." Alfonse stepped back. "That I promise."

"Uh …" Mabel sighed, her eyes half-lidded as the Elf walked into the portal the Dr. opened.

"Well, that was smooth." Wendy walked up to Mabel who stood with a glazed look in her eyes.

Closing the last portal, the Doctor turned, seeing Tom, Mary, Wendy, Mabel, Stan, and Ford who had remained. "Alright, that's everyone." The Doctor opened a portal behind him. "Let's hope the next time we meet isn't another earth-ending event."

"Thank you for everything." Ford said.

The Doctor nodded and stepped into the portal which soon closed after.

The others remained in the forest, hearing the Quinjets make their departure from the city. "I don't think I like my niece dating aliens." Ford said.

"I'm shocked Ford; didn't peg u for a racist." Stan said, laughing.

"What? No I'm not." Ford said annoyed.

"Relax, Sixer, I'm messing with you" Stan chuckled.

* * *

PUSHING LEAVES aside, Mabel walked into the woods, seeing Dipper still seated on the log up ahead. Seeing the sun set, she sighed and hesitantly approached him, sitting beside the downtrodden boy. "Dipper?" She waited.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier; it was terrible." She said, getting nothing but silence. "I know you didn't want to go through with the spell, but know that it wasn't your fault."

"I kept her there …" Dipper said, his voice growing hoarse. "I kept her in even though she wanted to pull away …" Tears ran down his face. "I killed her." He broke down.

"No, no, you didn't." Mabel put her hand over him. "It's not your fault."

Mabel held Dipper as he wept, his trembling bringing a tear to her eye as she felt his pain. The twins sat alone as his grief bled out, and after an hour, they went back to camp.

* * *

"ARE YOU sure with Mr Poolcheck is okay with us leaving?" Mabel asked as she put on her satchel.

"Yeah; I told him your parents needed you for personal family stuff and he didn't really pry on." Wendy said, looking at Dipper and Mabel as they held their bags in the middle of camp. "You sure you're okay, Mabel? You were put through the ringer too."

"I'll be fine." Mabel said, trying to pull a smile. "I've gotta be there for Dipper really."

Wendy looked to Dipper, seeing the bags under his eyes as he hadn't slept at all the previous night. She moved up to him when she heard footsteps behind her, turning to see Mary and Tom who also had their bags. "Huh? What're you guys doing here?"

"We're heading out too." Tom said. "I need a break after all that happened."

"Me too." Mary said.

"Well, how're you heading back? You called your parents or something?"

"Oh, we've got our own ride." Tom pocketed his hands.

Wendy raised her brow, wondering what he meant when a portal opened nearby from which Star leapt out. "All aboard the Star Express!" She held her wand to the sky. "The videogame world awaits!"

"Yeah, Ralph and Vanellope are waiting on the other side, so we're gonna -," Marco stuck his head from the other side, cutting himself off when he saw Dipper and Mabel nearby. "Oh, hi, uh …" He looked at Dipper. "I'll just …" He went back into the portal.

"Ooh, sorry." Star tapped her wand.

"You're ditching camp to go on another adventure?" Wendy frowned.

"What? I **__**do**__** wanna go home, I don't know what they're talking about." Tom said, turning to Star.

"Uh, heh …" Star glanced around. "Well, I knew they wanted to go home, but I -,"

"Ugh, I can't believe this." Wendy said.

Tom shook his head and walked away from Star, moving up to Dipper. "Dipper?" The boy remained silent. Tom sighed and paused for a moment. "Look, I won't pretend I know what you're going through nor will I say some stupid shit like it's gonna be better or whatever."

"Tom!" Wendy snapped at him.

"But, I wanna let you know that blaming yourself won't fix anything - it won't bring her back." Tom continued. "You did what you could and life fucked it up for you. All you can do now is decide what comes nest; will you let what happened beat you down or are you gonna get back up and do what you know is right." Dipper looked at Tom, unable to answer. "That's all I can say, man." Tom walked off. "We'll see ya when we see ya."

Mary frowned at Tom as he walked by, turning to Dipper who was deep in his thoughts. Unsure of what to say herself, she went up to the boy and hugged him, feeling how weak he was as he just stood limply. Pulling away from him, she went back to Tom and entered the portal with Star and Marco, leaving Wendy annoyed.

Huffing, Wendy walked up to the twins. "Alright, I'll drive you to the station." She picked up Dipper's bag and headed to her car, followed by Mabel who led Dipper along.

* * *

BRINGING THEIR last bag out of the car, Mabel and Dipper stood at the bus station with Wendy, soon being found by Soos, Ford and Stan who waited with them for the bus to arrive. Breaking the silence as the others were unsure what to say, Mabel spoke. "So, what're you gonna do after camp's over?" She turned to Wendy.

"Well, I think I'm gonna quit being Camp Manager." Wendy crossed her arms. "Even though the kids' memories of Bill's attack was erased, there's still a lot that could go wrong and I don't think I can handle that stress again. I'll have to find another job." She pocketed her hands. "Who knows, maybe Ooo might be interesting."

"And you, Soos?" Mabel asked.

"Melanie and I were thinking we'd have another go at the Mystery Shack but things might have to change a lil." Soos said. "People have started touring the forest themselves, so weird artifacts are in the market."

"Well, I think I'm done with adventuring for a while." Stan huffed.

"Same here, I think I'll just return to doing research with Fiddleford." Ford said. "Maybe I'll find out what's going on with this Dr. Cello character."

"Well, Dipper and I will have to just kick back and return to boring ol' school, huh?" Mabel nudged the boy, getting no reaction.

A silence fell again as the others saw Dipper's state once more - Ford moving to talk to him when they heard the bus roll in. "Well, guess it's time for ya to head out." Ford said instead.

The bus came to a stop, it's doors coming open to the group who hesitated to move afterward. Seeing Dipper still looking at the ground, Mabel decided to move on first, turning back to the others. "Goodbye Grunkle Stan, Uncle Soos, Wendy! We're gonna be back as soon as we can!" She smiled.

"Hey, you forgot somebody!" Wendy said, pulling Waddles out from behind a tree where he was chewing on mushrooms.

"Waddles!" Mabel ran up and lifted the bovine. "Oof! You've become so heavy." She went back to the bus. "We're gonna have to put you on a diet, mister."

Wendy waved Mabel off and saw that Dipper had remained behind. Sighing, she moved up to the boy. "Well, guess it's that time again, dude; you're off and you're gonna face the world," She chuckled, "Dunno how many times we're gonna send ya back, but I'll be here whenever we have to." She looked at him, her smile dying as he looked at her with tired eyes. "You did everything you could, bro, never forget that.' She pecked him on his cheek and stepped back. "It's funny to see my hat still fits that big head of yours - never being the smart ass you always are." She waved him off.

Dipper turned to the others, seeing their beams of affection. Frowning he boarded the bus, not giving a reaction to any of them. Sitting beside Mabel, the boy stared off blankly into the distance. Mabel tried to speak to him, but decided not to, simply withdrawing into herself as the bus started off and headed to California.

* * *

BLACKNESS SWAM through the desolate realm as Bill floated helplessly, the demon's eye rolling as he'd been there for what felt like forever. Wondering if he'd be there for an eternity, he began to whistle a tune to himself when a portal forcefully sucked him in, sending him crashing onto a dark cloud.

"Okay, okay, Truth, I promised I'd repay my debt for the power you gave me." Bill stood up, "The operation on Home World is working just fine, I just need more -," He turned around and frowned. "You!"

"Is that anyway to address and Elder of Reality?" The gigantic dark cloaked figure on a throne of bones said, sitting back and looking to the black being from before who had watched Bill on earth.

"Shall I eliminate him, Master?" The dark being said, summoning a crystalline black sword.

"You wouldn't even be able to." The cloaked being crossed his legs. "What have you to say for yourself, Bill Cipher? Trying to eliminate all of reality and impose your rule over everything? What drove you to such madness?"

"You're the one who let those kids win, aren't you!?" Bill growled. "I had them, and you interfered!"

"There is a balance - I could not let you destroy everything in existence to serve your unceasing ego." The figure responded.

"Enough of this!" Bill yelled and flew toward him,

"Foolishness." The cloaked figure flicked his hand, casting him into a nearby portal that vanished.

"The situation is becoming harder to contain." The other being dismissed his weapon.

"I know." The cloaked figure said and stood up.

"Where are you going, Master?"

"I must find the Keys before the Others make their move." The figure said and disappeared.

* * *

YEARS IN THE FUTURE, explosions went off in the shattered streets of Piedmont as armed men gunned down civilians and set their homes ablaze. Holding her rifle, a young redheaded girl steeled herself and hid behind the rubble, turning to the large bearded man across from her.

"I don't think I can do this anymore!" She said, tearing up.

"We can't stop now, Pacifica." The man said. "If we're gonna start time again, we're gonna need to get over to their base!" A grenade erupted nearby, sending rocks through their window. "We have to focus on the prize! Never forget that!"

Pacifica sighed and looked at her rifle, tightening her grip. "I'm ready!"

* * *

DIPPER AWOKE with a start and looked around, seeing nothing but a pile of papers strewn over the floor of his basement. Rubbing his eyes, he quickly grabbed a book nearby, writing down the nightmares that had come since he had left the camp. He went back to work, failing to notice the door at the top of the steps opening up.

"Dipper! It's time for school!" Mabel called out, not getting an answer. "C'mon, mom made our favorite for breakfast - you don't want any?" He remained silent and she sighed, reluctantly walking away.

Writing the last of his notes, the boy looked over the papers on the ground, seeing a newspaper with the Northwests on it. He picked it up, his eyes glued on Pacifica as she'd stood in the arms of her parents. Her smile felt like a stab in the chest now that she was gone, but he wouldn't let go. He knew she was out there somewhere.

He would find her.

* * *

 ** **And that is it! Our longest book has finally ended!****

 ** **Thank you all for reading and your comments, it really helps us know if we're making an interesting enough story and if you enjoy it. This book WILL have a sequel that is in the works, though we can't say when we'll have it out.****

 ** **In case you didn't know, the RealDone Universe is a giant story in which every fanfic exists in the same universe - kinda like our own little Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you wanna read our other books, check out our timeline in our bio and check out our Steven Universe book which is the next book following right after this one.****

 ** **Thanks for reading.****


	21. THE SEQUEL BOOK IS OUT!

**We've just uploaded the first chapter of the sequel to this book titled 'Time Wars'. Check it out to continue the journey!**


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